Kaiser Permanente Statement on Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

An Important Message from Ronald Copeland, MD, senior vice president of National Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Policy and chief diversity and inclusion officer, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals; and Stephen Parodi, MD, executive vice president, External Affairs, The Permanente Federation

Background: The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced new guidance that, among other things, appears to remove gender identity from civil rights protections in federal law governing employment, housing, and other areas.

The policy changes announced last week by the U.S. Department of Justice will not result in any change to our strong commitment to promoting diversity and a culture of inclusion – among our employees, physicians, members, and customers. Neither will these federal policy changes lessen in any way our expectations of mutual respect, dignity, and cultural understanding across our workforce, for each other, and for our members, customers, and the communities we serve.

At Kaiser Permanente, diversity and inclusion are inextricably linked to our mission, and are part of everything we do. We know that having a diverse and inclusive workforce makes Kaiser Permanente a better place to receive health care, a better partner in the communities we serve, and a better place to work.

Our commitment to delivering equitable, inclusive care extends to all our patients, visitors and employees – regardless of race, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, faith, language, or background. We are proud to have earned a perfect score for each of the past seven years in the Healthcare Equality Index, compiled by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer civil rights organization. For the past decade, Kaiser Permanente has also received a top score on the Human Rights Campaign’s annual Corporate Equality Index for its commitment to creating internal policies that foster diversity and inclusion, and providing training and benefits that create a fair and equitable workplace.