Triangle companies focus on health equity in the workplace

Representatives from multiple local companies participated in the inaugural Health Equity in Workforce Leadership Summit hosted by the American Heart Association.

The goal was to share information across different companies and help leaders understand the different needs of their employees.

Speakers also discussed the difference between equity and equality and the role each plays in healthcare.

“Employers, they have the right mindset of wanting to do something, but they may not know where to start,” said Tiffany Goulston, director of the American Triangle Heart Association. explain.

Speakers included representatives from companies such as Deloitte, IBM, Lenovo, and Advanced Auto Parts.

Faculty from Duke and North Carolina State universities were also in attendance, working on issues discussed by local graduates entering the workforce.

Golston said the purpose of the summit is to remind companies that health care cannot be viewed in a one-size-fits-all way.

“When you think about employees, they spend the majority of their time at work. So the American Heart Association wants to make sure that employers have the tools and resources they can provide to their employees when it comes to health equity. “I think so,” she said.

Golston said he hopes the summit will foster continued communication and action to ensure employees have access to appropriate resources.

“The American Heart Association, we really started working in this space around 2021,” Golston said. “Given what happened in 2020 with the pandemic, what it showed about mental illness in the workplace and elsewhere, and what employees needed, we are here to bring employers to the Triangle. I think it's very timely to come together in this space and talk about, “What can we do to provide better resources for our employees?'' ”