DEI Information for Patients, Families and Visitors

Doctors and families put their trust in Children’s Hospital Los Angeles because we deliver services that create hope and build healthier futures for children. And our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion helps patients, families and visitors have the best possible experience—both inside and outside our facilities.

Our Approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Our genuine concern for children’s health and wellness extends to our patients’ families and the communities we serve. We are undertaking ambitious diversity, equity and inclusion efforts to create a more welcoming environment than ever before. Learn more about diversity, equity and inclusion.

Diversity

At Children’s Hospital, we strive to ensure our diverse workforce is reflective of the communities we serve. Our team includes talented and caring individuals from a wider range of identities, experiences, and backgrounds.

Our team’s diversity makes it easier for patients and families to establish trusting relationships with providers, right from the start. Request an appointment.

We intentionally seek out clinicians and staff whose experience, perspectives and backgrounds enable us to better serve patients and families. Children’s Hospital is also creating opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds to become health professionals through medical education, training and mentorship programs.

Equity

Equitable care starts with access. Children’s Hospital does everything possible to connect children and their families with much-needed care and support. Many of our specialists are available through virtual visits and neighborhood physician offices, eliminating potential barriers to care.

We are a California pediatric Safety Net facility, giving advanced pediatric services to any child who needs them, regardless of financial status. And our multidisciplinary approach enables families to receive recommendations from multiple specialists in a single visit, further reducing barriers to care such as difficulty traveling to multiple appointments.

We are also improving health equity through research at Children’s Hospital. These efforts give children access to leading-edge treatments that are not widely available. And the knowledge our researchers gain from serving diverse patient populations is helping advance health equity on a global scale.

Inclusion

Everyone is welcome at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. We put extra effort into helping patients, families, visitors and staff feel like they belong here. Our experts are honored to take part in your child’s care. Providing a high-quality experience matters deeply to us.

Children’s Hospital supports a culture of inclusion by educating our team through trainings, special activities and core workgroups. We are learning about the cultures, beliefs and challenges of the people we serve so we can tailor services to your preferences.

These efforts are advancing our DEI strategic goals of:

• Workforce diversity
• Health equity
• Cultural humility
• DEI programming and training
• Community partnerships

We are also forging relationships with community organizations to improve health, wellness and a sense of belonging beyond our four walls.

Services That Help Patients Feel Welcome and Appreciated

Children’s Hospital offers a variety of services that augment our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. These offerings help children receive the high-quality care they deserve and make the experience a little less stressful for your family.

Services that help patients feel welcome and appreciated include:

• Personalized therapies: Doctors explain your child’s options, listen to your concerns and tailor recommendations as appropriate.
• Care coordination: Treatment for complex conditions often involves nurse navigators who provide additional guidance and support between appointments.
• Social work: Members of our Social Work team are available 24 hours a day to coordinate services that make life easier for your whole family.
• Bilingual staff: Some of our departments have bilingual English-Spanish providers.
• Services in your preferred language: Interpretation and translation services are available in any language at any time.

We Ask Because We Care

In Southern California and across the country, there are notable differences in healthcare outcomes (health disparities). Some factors causing these disparities have to do with a person’s background. Children’s Hospital is working toward creating a more fair and just healthcare system where everyone has opportunities to achieve excellent outcomes (health equity).

To reach our health equity goals, we need your help. We will be requesting information about your child’s background, including demographic features like:

• Race and ethnicity
• Primary language spoken at home
• Sexual orientation and gender identity
• Ability Status

Like all personal health information, the data will be held in confidence. Only people who need to know it, like our health equity and cultural humility committees, will have access to aggregated reports in groups.

Our committees look forward to using the data to learn more about the disparities impacting the families we serve. We will use it to improve health equity through quality improvement efforts, staff training sessions and more.