This summer, while we were fighting to keep COVID-19 at bay, we were starkly reminded of an ever-present fight our colleagues of colour, specifically our Black and Indigenous colleagues, face every day.

Kensington was built on diversity.

It is not just a value we try to live every day, but it is at the core of who we are as an organization. In 1954, The Doctors Hospital, now Kensington, was founded with a mandate to serve the diverse community and cultures of the Kensington area. The hospital provided care for thousands of people of all backgrounds, cultures, religions and means.

More than half a century later, we are reminded again that we have a long way to go in our society and we will continue to do our part in fighting for equity.

At Kensington Health, that means we must always strive to be better for the people who are at the heart of our organization — our employees and the community we serve.

Like many organizations, we too took a stand again this summer to reaffirm that Black and Indigenous lives matter, everyone is welcome, and bigotry and hate have no place at Kensington. We know that this was just a small first step. It was the proclamation to plan to become better, there is always room for improvement.

To help us in our planning, Kensington Health’s WRAP (We Respect All People) Committee has begun work on an internal Diversity Assessment that will tell us what we are doing well and, more importantly, what we need to work on. The assessment will direct us on how to become a leader in removing the systemic barriers that prevent access to care, improving the health and well-being of the community we serve.

Kensington Health is committed to making our campus a more equitable place to work, volunteer, live, and receive care.