Pledge for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

For those whose work includes medical research and data collection related to AMR, sepsis, or its underlying causes suggested goals are: to drive diverse participation in longitudinal studies and other medical research; to increase statistical representation of all racial and ethnic groups in registries and other collected health data; and to increase diversity within signatory’s organization. Action items might include:

• Set target for inclusion of racially and ethnically diverse participants in longitudinal studies and other medical research;
• Set target for inclusion of racially and ethnically diverse patients in the collection and applied use of health data;
• Increase partnerships with advocates/advocacy organizations;
• Implement/expand EDI training for executives, Board of Directors, advisory boards, and other personnel;
• Increase racial and ethnic diversity of organizational leadership, governance, and/or those involved in study design to better reflect communities served;
• Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into organizational mission statement, charter, values, etc.

For those whose work includes the production and/or distribution of medical devices, technology, pharmaceuticals, or other products that help mitigate AMR, sepsis, or its underlying causes, suggested goals are: to drive diverse participation in clinical trials; to better reach and educate diverse communities about products; to make products more accessible; and to increase diversity within signatory’s organization. Action items might include:

• Set target for inclusion of racially and ethnically diverse participants in clinical trials;
• Develop targeted communications strategy for improving public education within underserved/communities of color;
• Develop targeted strategy for making products more accessible to underserved/communities of color;
• Increase partnerships with advocates/advocacy organizations;
• Implement/expand EDI training for executives, Board of Directors, advisory boards, and other personnel;
• Increase racial and ethnic diversity of organizational leadership, governance, and/or those involved in clinical trial design to better reflect communities served;
• Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into organizational mission statement, charter, values, etc.

For those who facilitate the direct delivery of medical care—especially care related to AMR, sepsis, or its underlying causes — suggested goals are: to increase provider/facilitator knowledge of implicit bias, care disparity, and other EDI topics; to enable providers/facilitators to give all patients culturally competent care; to partner with advocates and organizations within patient communities; and to increase diversity within signatory’s organization. Action items might include:

• Implement/expand training for healthcare providers/facilitators in implicit bias, structural racism, care disparity, and other EDI topics;
• Increase/strengthen partnerships with advocates and organizations within patient communities to better understand care needs;
• Implement/expand training for healthcare providers/facilitators on how to best link patients with support in their communities;
• Implement/expand EDI training for executives, Board of Directors, advisory boards, and other personnel;
• Increase racial and ethnic diversity of organizational leadership and governance to better reflect communities served;
• Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into organizational mission statement, charter, values, etc.

For those whose work includes public health education and/or advocacy efforts around AMR, sepsis, or its underlying causes, suggested goals are: to center equity within advocacy strategy; to increase cultural relevancy within public-facing educational materials; to target distribution of educational materials toward disproportionately affected groups; to partner with organizations across the industry; and to increase diversity within signatory’s organization. Action items might include:

• Increase cultural relevancy of public-facing health materials by including specifics on the health needs and concerns of underserved/communities of color;
• Expand the availability of public-facing health materials in languages other than English;
• Develop targeted distribution strategy for public-facing materials within underserved/communities of color;
• Include in advocacy strategy the promotion of actions and policies that aim to close healthcare gaps and eliminate health barriers for underserved/communities of color;
• Increase/strengthen industry partnerships, to help advise and ensure equity measures are implemented;
• Use organizational voice to lend support to equity initiatives in the broader healthcare sector and across the continuum of care;
• Implement/expand EDI training for executives, Board of Directors, advisory boards, and other personnel;
• Increase racial and ethnic diversity of organizational leadership and governance to better reflect communities served;
• Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into organizational mission statement, charter, values, etc.

For state, federal, local, and tribal government health agencies engaged in AMR, sepsis, or its underlying causes, suggested goals are: to increase cultural relevancy within public health resources; to target distribution of public health resources within disproportionately affected communities; to drive diverse participation in agency-supported medical research; and to increase diversity within signatory’s organization. Action items might include:

• Increase cultural relevancy of public-facing health resources by including specifics on the health needs and concerns of underserved/communities of color;
• Expand the availability of public-facing health resources in languages other than English;
• Develop targeted distribution strategy for health resources within underserved/communities of color;
• Set target for inclusion of racially and ethnically diverse participants in direct medical research and/or grant-funded research;
• Implement/expand EDI training for executives, Board of Directors, advisory boards, and other personnel;
• Increase racial and ethnic diversity of organizational leadership and governance to better reflect communities served;
• Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into organizational mission statement, charter, values, etc.

For payors in the health system hoping to contribute to equity work in the area of AMR, sepsis, or its underlying causes, suggested goals are: to increase outreach to historically under-resourced communities; to center diversity and inclusion when providing funding/grants, where applicable; and to increase diversity within signatory’s organization.

• Increase cultural relevancy of public-facing health resources by including specifics on the health needs and concerns of underserved/communities of color;
• Expand the availability of public-facing health resources in languages other than English;
• Develop targeted distribution strategy for health resources within underserved/communities of color, including the expansion of health fairs within those communities;
• Set target for racial and ethnic inclusivity when providing funding/grants;
• Implement/expand EDI training for executives, Board of Directors, advisory boards, and other personnel;
• Increase racial and ethnic diversity of organizational leadership and governance to better reflect communities served;
• Incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion into organizational mission statement, charter, values, etc.

Yes! This pledge is for all those pitching in to combat sepsis and AMR, even if that’s only part of the work that you do. Equity interventions are sorely needed in these areas, which warrants specific attention and targeted action.

No. To help encourage accessibility to all, the pledge is free to sign.

Your first step is to input your organization’s information into the form below. You will then receive a follow-up email from pledge@sepsis.org with further instructions. If you do not receive communication within one week, please first check your spam folder, then email us at pledge@sepsis.org. Be advised that in the follow-up communication, Sepsis Alliance will ask for more details about how you will be enacting the pledge.

In order to remain a pledge partner, your organization will be asked to keep Sepsis Alliance posted on your equity progress on an annual basis. What your report will look like will depend on how you’re enacting the pledge—you may share a new education initiative, updated reach numbers, or new inclusive language in your mission statement. You will receive an email at the end of the first calendar year with instructions on how to report your progress.

All pledge partners will be listed on this website, with organization name and logo included. Sepsis Alliance will not share other information—like specific actions or progress updates—in any form without explicit consent to do so.