Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

A healthy campus community is a vibrant and inspiring place to work, study, and live.

It celebrates the contributions of all and welcomes a diversity of ideas, backgrounds, and experiences. University Health Services is committed to sustaining a welcoming environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion are valued and demonstrated in our organizational practices, policies, services, and programs. We respect the uniqueness of the students, staff, and faculty we serve, and embrace the opportunity to provide quality, culturally competent care that reflects our common desire to feel respected, valued, and welcomed.

UHS Core Values

These core values guide our work with students, faculty, and staff, as well as our interactions with the campus and the broader community. They reflect our approach to continuously improving our programs, services, and operations and serve as the foundation for our organizational mission and vision. Our values are embodied in the term HEALTH.

• Holistic: We provide integrated care that recognizes the cultural, physical, mental, emotional, environmental, social, and spiritual aspects of health.
• Equitable & Inclusive: We affirm the dignity of all people and promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in all that we do. We acknowledge that biases and injustices (both historic and current) permeate all aspects of our society and we strive to ensure that every person with whom we interact feels supported, valued, and respected.
• Accessible: We believe everyone should receive care that meets them where they are. We are responsive to individual preferences and provide services and prevention programs that are economically, physically, and culturally accessible to our community.
• Leading Edge: We foster innovation through rigorous, ongoing examination of our current practices and the needs of our campus communities. We embrace continuous learning and improvement to create the highest quality services and the best possible care environment.
• Team Based & Collaborative: We embrace working collaboratively - among ourselves and with individuals, the campus, and local providers. We seek to create an environment that supports the well-being of campus communities and UHS staff.
• Honest & Accountable: We are transparent in our efforts, open in our communication, and accountable to each other and to those we serve. We model health-promoting policies and practices, cultural humility, and ongoing learning in all of our endeavors. We responsibly use the resources entrusted to us.

UHS Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At University Health Services, we address equity, inclusion, and diversity issues in our roles as both a healthcare provider and an employer. We have organized our new and planned initiatives under national best practices for reducing healthcare disparities, specifically:

• Ensure access to quality, culturally competent care for vulnerable populations by improving the cultural competency and diversity of the healthcare workforce and addressing disparities in access to care.
  • Examples of related programs and services that have been implemented or expanded over the past three years: Counseling and Psychological Services satellite offices and community-based outreach activities to increase access for underserved students; a Trans Care Team; a financial fair for faculty and staff; food resources helping people eat healthy on a budget; implementing the Health Opportunity Fund for Pell Grant and Dream Aid recipients; mandatory equity, inclusion, and diversity training for UHS staff; and much more.
  • Examples include ongoing client satisfaction surveys; annual review of service utilization and core satisfaction measures by race/ethnicity as well as gender identity and sexual orientation as available; regular analysis of demographics of medical and mental health providers as well as managers.

  UHS Justice, Inclusion, & Community Committee (JICC)

  The UHS Justice, Inclusion, and Community Committee (JICC) is an advisory committee that reports to the UHS Executive Director and provides recommendations for sustaining the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The committee is comprised of UHS staff from various job classifications and representatives from the undergraduate and graduate student populations. Monthly meetings enable committee members to share pertinent department and campus updates, develop recommendations to guide organization diversity, and equity decisions, and convene sub-committees charged with implementing select committee projects. Additionally, the committee maintains a relationship with the Division of Equity & Inclusion to integrate UHS efforts, support larger campus initiatives, and ensure that the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion are reflected throughout our work and service to the campus community.