Quick Read:
- UW Medicine’s observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day recognizes our shared responsibility to become an anti-racist organization.
- A special website honors Dr. King’s life and legacy and introduces UW Medicine’s Community Service Award winners.
- We take this time to reflect on the work we have done toward achieving Dr. King’s vision and realize that there is much more that must be done.
As a civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired people in our country and around the world to overcome racism, poverty and militarism through nonviolent action and resistance. His goal to create a society of justice, peace and harmony, which he called a beloved community, has been sustained by The King Center in Atlanta since his assassination in 1968, and it is the theme for today’s holiday: “It Starts With Me: Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset to Transform Unjust Systems.”
This year, our observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day once again centers on a special website created by our Tribute Committee: Cultivating a Beloved Community Mindset. This website highlights our shared responsibility to transform unjust systems with powerful stories, music, poetry and reminders of the many current struggles for justice. The website also features winners of Community Service Awards representing the UW School of Medicine and other health sciences schools, Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center, Valley Medical Center and UW Medicine Primary Care. All were selected for their outstanding efforts to address community needs.
At UW Medicine, our collective call to action is to eliminate the health inequities in society and within our healthcare system that have resulted from institutional racism. As outlined in our Healthcare Equity Blueprint 2.0, we are focused on the following goals:
- Reducing inequities in healthcare delivery.
- Making UW Medicine an equitable place to learn, work, provide and receive care.
- Being a national model for healthcare equity.
- Providing local and national leadership in healthcare equity and healthcare justice research.
With leadership from the Office of Healthcare Equity, we are making progress on these goals, but we recognize that there is much more to do. Thank you for joining us in honoring Dr. King today by reflecting on his life and legacy and by participating in our vital work to achieve healthcare equity and justice at UW Medicine and in our community.
Sincerely,
Timothy H. Dellit, MD
Interim CEO, UW Medicine
Interim Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and
Interim Dean of the School of Medicine,
University of Washington
Paula L. Houston, EdD
Chief Equity Officer
Office of Healthcare Equity, UW Medicine
Associate Vice President for Medical Affairs
University of Washington
Cynthia Dold
Interim President, UW Medicine Hospitals & Clinics
Interim Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Jacqueline Cabe
Chief Financial Officer, UW Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Ruth Mahan
Chief Business Officer, UW Medicine
Chief of Staff, UW Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Anneliese Schleyer, MD
Interim Chief Medical Officer, UW Medicine
Interim Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Don Theophilus
Chief Advancement Officer, UW Medicine
Vice President for Medical Affairs,
University of Washington
Cindy Hecker
Chief Executive Officer
UW Medical Center
Sommer Kleweno Walley
Chief Executive Officer
Harborview Medical Center
Jeannine Erickson Grinnell
Chief Executive Officer
Valley Medical Center
Anthony Dorsch
Executive Director
UW Physicians
Debra Gussin
Executive Director, UW Neighborhood Clinics
Associate Vice President, Primary Care and Population Health
UW Medicine
Jeff Richey
Executive Director
Airlift Northwest
