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Assessment Committee
An independent review of efforts to combat systemic racism, and to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at Seattle Children’s.
Susan Betcher, Chair
Board of Trustees, Seattle Children’s Hospital
4800 Sand Point Way NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Re: Covington’s Report to the Board of Trustees of Seattle Children’s Hospital
Dear Susan,
We appreciate the Board’s confidence in the Assessment Committee over these last six months as we have overseen an independent review of Seattle Children’s efforts to combat systemic racism and address the issues raised by Dr. Ben Danielson. As you know, the Assessment Committee worked closely with former US Attorney General Eric Holder and a team from Covington & Burling LLP as they led this critical work. The Assessment Committee met more than two dozen times with Covington, and we want to underscore Covington’s independence and thoroughness as they conducted their assessment, which is rooted in the experiences and perspectives shared by patients and families, members of the workforce, and the broader Seattle Children’s community.
Today, we are pleased to endorse Covington’s findings and recommendations, which we unanimously support. Covington has produced a comprehensive report that is as transparent as possible, given the need to also protect the confidences of those who participated in the assessment.
Seattle Children’s has an opportunity to truly live up to the value of Equity contained in the hospital’s values statement and to affirm its status as a national leader in health equity. We believe that Covington’s recommendations lay out a blueprint for accomplishing these objectives. Seattle Children’s must act urgently to drive meaningful change and achieve more equitable outcomes at Seattle Children’s. If it does so, Seattle Children’s can inspire broader, long-overdue change throughout the field of pediatric healthcare. To that end, we strongly encourage the Board to publicly release at least Covington’s eleven findings statements, as well as Covington’s complete recommendations, to be fully transparent with the Seattle Children’s community and to share the lessons from this assessment.
Now is the time to act decisively. Do not let this moment pass. We welcome the opportunity to answer questions about the Assessment Committee’s efforts, and we stand ready to work with the Board to help implement Covington’s recommendations.
Sincerely,
The Seattle Children’s Hospital
Assessment Committee
Ken Denman | Abigail Echo-Hawk | Colleen Fukui-Sketchley |
Hon. Gary Locke | Frankie Manning, MSN, RN | TJ McGill |
Racquel Russell |
Overview
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The Assessment Committee was created by the Seattle Children’s Board of Trustees to oversee an independent review of efforts to combat systemic racism, and to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion at Seattle Children’s, including the issues raised by Dr. Ben Danielson.
After a competitive process, the Assessment Committee chose former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and a team from Covington & Burling LLP, to lead an independent review of Seattle Children’s. Covington conducted a thorough examination of Seattle Children’s policies, practices, and procedures, and reviewed information from current and former members of the workforce, patients, families, members of the community and other stakeholders. The Assessment Committee asked Covington to engage broadly to understand the nuanced experiences of communities that Seattle Children’s serves, and to take an intentionally inclusive and holistic approach to ensure that all voices are heard, particularly those from historically marginalized and vulnerable populations.
To protect privacy and promote an environment most conducive to full and frank sharing of information by current and former members of Seattle Children’s workforce, its patients and families, the community and stakeholders, all information provided to Covington and the Assessment Committee will be kept strictly confidential. To ensure the protection of this information, the members of the Assessment Committee have signed confidentiality agreements.
For more information, please see our Frequently Asked Questions. Contact information for Covington is below.:
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