Bringing you world-class care from around the globe, Valley Medical Center truly is a tapestry of diversity and individuality.

At Valley Medical Center, we are proud to have an amazingly diverse team of professionals dedicated to providing remarkable care for our patients and their families. Our hospital district services residents who speak 180 different languages, so we actively seek diversity in our staff to best care for our patients and families. Cultural diversity isn’t just about differences in dress and language—it encompasses different ways of thinking, managing and communicating. Diversity is about learning from others with various experiences and backgrounds, providing support and respect to those with both similar and different experiences, and creating an encouraging workplace that welcomes new opinions. 

Improving our culture of healthcare equity

Valley celebrates the diversity of our staff and community and recognizes it is vital to create a culture of equity that positively impacts the health and well-being of those we serve. We set bones, we mend hearts, we prevent disease, we bring people back from the brink of death and back to their families, and sometimes we help them say good-bye. As caregivers, we hold an enormous responsibility to lead by example as our service area is home to the most diverse population in Washington state. We take this responsibility seriously and strive to become an inclusive organization that fosters understanding and belonging. We ask each of our caregivers and each person in our community to challenge the personal biases that exist within ourselves, to be an ambassador for equity for the diverse populations we serve and employ, and care for all in our community like family.

Pledge from senior leadership

Valley's senior leadership, in collaboration with the Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee, have pledged to work toward becoming an anti-racist organization to help build a better future for the Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) members of our community who we employ, provide care for and those whom we need to build trust with to be able to provide care. This pledge includes eliminating systemic discrimination against people of color, LGBTQ+ communities and other marginalized populations we serve in our diverse community. WE stand together. WE stand strong. WE are Valley. 

What are we doing at Valley?

Caregiver Commitment: Each Valley employee signs an annual pledge to uphold Valley’s mission, vision, values and commitment, which includes treating all with respect, compassion and in a way that meets their needs.

Caregiver Affinity & Learning Groups: Five affinity groups—Black, Indigenous, People of Color Affinity Group; White EDI Advocacy Learning Group; Mental Health Affinity Group; United EDI Advocacy Learning Group; and LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group-- meet for monthly conversations to identify areas for improvement toward becoming a more inclusive, equitable, and safe place to work and receive care for ALL at Valley. Our affinity group goals are to educate ourselves and each other about discrimination; build a common language toolkit so we can safely and effectively discuss discrimination; learn and practice skills to confront discriminatory behavior in the workplace and in our personal lives.

Leadership & Staff Training: Valley's leadership teams are identifying areas for improvement regarding systemic racism, prejudice, discrimination, and other barriers for underrepresented or underserved communities. As we identify areas of greatest need, training programs are implemented to meet these needs and train both leadership and staff.

Patient Family Advisory Council (PFAC): PFAC partners patients and families with members of Valley's healthcare team to provide guidance on how to improve the patient and family experience. As part of this PFAC process, patients and families are invited to serve on hospital committees. This helps ensure the consumer’s point of view and perspectives are not only heard, but also integrated into the service and quality improvements engineered to ensure high-quality, patient-centered care. 

SOGI/ReAL Data: Starting in 2023, regulatory agencies that oversee hospital accreditation began requiring hospitals to collect more detailed information on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI); Race, Ethnicity, and Language (REaL); and disability status when admitting patients or during visits to primary and specialty care clinics. Collecting this data helps us better understand the unique needs of our diverse community, allowing us to provide more personalized, culturally sensitive care. This information is kept confidential and is part of a patient’s medical record. Participation is voluntary, and patients can choose not to disclose any details. For more information, see our FAQ on REaL and SOGI data.

Social Drivers of Health are the everyday factors that affect a person's health. These include things like: where you live, your access to food and housing, education, income and job stability, and access to healthcare. All these factors can impact a person's health and how easily they can get the care they need. Hospitals, including Valley, ask questions to learn more about these categories because it helps them understand and support their patients better. When we understand the challenges faced by our community, we can work to improve the overall health of everyone, not just individual patients. This could mean starting programs to teach healthy habits or working with local organizations to address common problems like hunger or homelessness. 

Interpretation: Did you know that Valley's hospital district serves residents who speak 180 different languages? To support our diverse community, we offer free interpreter services to all patients. As part of the new patient registration process, we ask your preferred language for talking about your health with your provider. If there's a language barrier and you prefer an interpreter, we will gladly provide one. Most of our interpreter services are offered remotely via video, allowing us to provide support in hundreds of languages. Using video makes it easier for the patient, interpreter, and provider to communicate clearly and ensure that everyone understands each other. As a commitment to health equity, we ensure our staff are educated about using interpreter services and ensure our devides and interpreter partners are the highest quality!

In FY 2023-2024, there were more than 54,000 interpreter minutes. The top 20 languages interpreted were Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Ukrainian, Cantonese, Punjabi, Arabic, Somali, Dari, Mandarin, American Sign Language, Cambodian, Amharic, French, Portugese (BRA), Haitian Creole, Pashto, Korean, Tagalog, and Tigrinya. 

See Valley's Equity, Diversity & Inclusion FY 2024-2025 work plan. 

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion: Press Releases & Community News Links