Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: An Ongoing Project ECHO Discussion

Racial disparities highlighted by COVID-19 have been in the public eye, and they are an ongoing conversation being addressed through Project ECHO® at Northeast Ohio Medical University.

Project ECHO programs use proven adult learning techniques and interactive video technology to connect groups of community providers with specialists at NEOMED’s Coordinating Centers of Excellence in regular real-time collaborative sessions. The sessions, designed around case-based learning and mentorship, help local health care workers gain the expertise required to provide needed services.

In August, the Integrated Care at NEOMED (IC@N) ECHO program hosted Marilyn Laila Sampilo, Ph.D., M.P.H., to speak on social determinants of health and marginalized populations. In her presentation, Dr. Sampilo reviewed the root causes of health inequities, the principles of social justice and health justice, how individual discrimination through structural barriers create an ecosystem of persistent inequities, and how racism intersects with COVID-19 to widen health inequity.

From noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, Dr. Sampilo will join the IC@N ECHO again, this time to discuss mental health care needs of the Hispanic/Latinx community in a discussion titled “Current issues and Creating Resiliency.” The session is appropriate for a wide variety of health care professionals working in mental health, social services and primary care fields. Interested participants are invited to register.

“Project ECHO at NEOMED is committed to creating a more just and equitable society and health care system,” says Nichole Ammon, manager of integrated healthcare initiatives at NEOMED.

“Each program has developed a welcoming, nurturing, inclusive learning community, promoting interaction and collaboration among all participants. Dr. Sampilo’s presentation adds to a long list of topics and discussions helping health care providers deliver the best possible care they can and reducing inequities for their patients.

“The Project ECHO at NEOMED team invites participants to join us in fostering continuous evolution, maximizing our individual and organizational efforts to create a nurturing an environment that allows us to create awareness, appreciation, acceptance and celebration of different cultures, beliefs and ideas, and to each do what we do best.”

There is no charge to join the November 13 session. Learn more and register.

More about Project ECHO

Since 2017, Project ECHO at NEOMED has offered consultation, training and clinical mentorship to over 2,800 individuals across 26 states and six countries in addition to the United States. Each ECHO program is geared towards addressing a specific complex condition/need. Providers gain skills and confidence; specialists learn new approaches for applying their knowledge across diverse cultural and geographical contexts. As the capacity of the local workforce increases, lives improve.

“The NEOMED ECHO team wants to continue to address the oppression that has existed in our professions,” says Ammon. “We recognize the need for more Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) providers – and providers of other marginalized communities. Our team is committed to internal examination to identify opportunities for growth to meet the community’s ever-evolving needs.”