Hospital In Newark’s South Ward Praised For 'Racial Inclusivity'

NEWARK, NJ — Newark Beth Israel Medical Center was named one of the top U.S. hospitals for “racial inclusivity” in a recent study. But the fight for equity isn’t stopping there, administrators say.

The Lown Institute, a nonpartisan healthcare think tank, recently named the hospital – located in the city’s South Ward – as the fourth-best in the nation when it comes to being racially inclusive.

To create the rankings, the institute assessed how well the demographics of a hospital’s Medicare patients matched the demographics of the hospital’s surrounding communities. Hospitals underserving communities of color got lower rankings.

Among more than 3,200 hospitals, Newark Beth Israel came behind only Metropolitan Hospital Center in New York, Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts, and St. Charles Madras in Oregon.

See the full list and read about the methodology here.

“At Newark Beth Israel, we understand the disproportionate impact that health care disparities have on the communities we serve,” President and CEO Darrell Terry said.

“As an anchor institution in the South Ward and the greater Newark area we are committed to addressing those disparities and creating true equity for our diverse patient populations,” Terry added.

Among other “anti-racist” efforts, the hospital has created several employee and physician forums for discussions on race, is an HEI-designated facility that fosters equity and inclusion for LGBTQ patients, and recently named its first-ever chief equity officer, Atiya Jaha-Rashidi.

Jaha-Rashidi, a registered nurse who has more than 24 years of experience leading and coordinating community outreach initiatives at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, will be tasked with overseeing the development and implementation of employee and community initiatives that foster equity. In addition, she will help to develop strong community partnerships with the aim of improving population health and reducing health care disparities.

“It’s important that we are intentional about eliminating the disparities that exist within our health care system,” Jaha-Rashidi said. “I’m excited to move forward as we work to create the policies that will transform our healthcare delivery system for generations to come.”

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital. It’s also home to one of the nation’s leading heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,100 transplants.

• See related article: Historic $100M Renovation Continues At Newark Beth Israel

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