Our military is becoming increasingly diverse. In fact, racial and ethnic minorities represent 43% of today’s military, while 6% of the military population identifies as part of the LGBT community. It is more important than ever for clinicians to be able to meet the needs of clients from various ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation, and cultural backgrounds. So, how is it that Cohen Veterans Network is working to meet the needs of our diverse military populations? Well, at CVN, it starts from within.
“Diversity and inclusion at CVN means understanding and listening to one another and respecting other’s points-of-view based on our cultural, racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, and military experiences. It means valuing the differences among us,” says CVN Chief Clinical Officer and Diversity & Inclusion Committee Chair, Dr. Tracy Neal-Walden. She continues, “Diversity and inclusion is an important focus for CVN because we are a diverse organization, we treat a diverse population, and diversity, inclusion, and equity in the workplace is vital to ensuring that everyone regardless of who they are or what they do for the organization feels equally involved and supported.”
In this Q&A video series, Dr. Neal-Walden shares further insight into how CVN’s diversity and inclusion efforts are impacting our organization, our clients and our field.
When it comes to CVN clients, how is the network executing on providing equitable and inclusive care?
How does Diversity and Inclusion play out in terms of the CVN employee experience?
CVN has received a grant from USAA to develop a diversity training. What will that mean for CVN clinicians and clients – and those beyond the network?
In what ways does CVN hope to advance Diversity and Inclusion in 2021?
By Kate Sullivan,
Manager, CVN Newsroom