Introduction
The respect for diversity highly determines the provision of competent medical services in the healthcare setting. Various sources indicate that the healthcare sector in the United States has realized significant achievements in the eradication of racial and ethnic discrimination in the workplace.
Diverse healthcare workforce is paramount to the provision of the available clinical services to wide-ranging groups of patients with a view of meeting their medical needs. This essay provides a literature review on the state of diversity inclusion in the Florida Department of Health (DOH).
Literature Review
Olsen and Martins (2012) reveal that the shifting demographic patterns in the United States have augmented the need to improve diversity in the health sector in an attempt to deliver quality and fair care services. Indeed, Oyler and Golden Pryor (2009) affirm that the benefits of a culturally proficient workforce cannot be underestimated in the realization of the needs of diverse people.
The Florida population comprises a plethora of racial, ethnic, and religious groups. Today, the US is becoming a destination for people from divergent cultural and racial milieus. As a result, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) has to overcome various problems such as the lack of workforce diversity, increasing personnel attrition, and deficiency of healthcare professionals (Olsen & Martins, 2012).
Culturally Incompetent Employees
It is evident that the DOH lacks workforce diversity. According to Green, López, Wysocki, and Kepner (2012), the need to embrace diversity in the Florida Department of Health goes beyond the alleviation of inequity and racial prejudice in the workplace. This situation has hindered the delivery of fair medical services in the organization (Health Disparities Research Advisory Committee, 2011).
The advancement of cultural proficiency in the healthcare workforce is paramount to the accomplishment of the organization’s medical goals. This situation has compelled the US government to create more opportunities for medical students, especially from the minority groups. The availability of culturally competent medical practitioners results in the provision of optimal healthcare services to diverse patients regardless of their ethnic and racial backgrounds (Health Disparities Research Advisory Committee, 2011).
According to Green et al. (2012), the achievement of this objective is contingent on the understanding of the different ethnic affiliations, belief systems, family patterns, and racial biases among other factors that influence the patients’ wellbeing, perceptions of the available healthcare services, and reactions to medication.
Underserved Groups and Improved Access to Superior Care
The existence of underserved groups has recently emerged as a challenge in the healthcare sector. The Florida Department of Health desires to increase the accessibility to improved healthcare services for the underserved (Health Disparities Research Advisory Committee, 2011). It is evident that the nurse-patient ratio is still low amongst the minority groups in the United States.
Indeed, many countries that have low nurse-patient ratios are predominated by the minority groups, especially the Hispanics and African-Americans. Various medical surveys have revealed that there is a correlation between the number of nurses serving a particular health facility and patient contentment (Dreachslin, Malone, & Gilbert, 2013).
An increased representation of the underserved groups in the Florida Department of Health will be a first step towards the realization of improved access to high-quality care (Health Disparities Research Advisory Committee, 2011).
Optimal Management of the Healthcare System
Dreachslin et al. (2013) reveal that an optimal management of the healthcare system in the Florida Department of Health is paramount to the provision of equal medical opportunities to the diverse populace of the US. The DOH needs to embrace diversity in the medical workforce (Gwele, 2009; Olsen & Martins, 2012).
The management of the facility should encompass employees from distinct ethnic and racial backgrounds to harness their diverse talents in the realization of an optimal healthcare system (Olsen & Martins, 2012; Dreachslin et al., 2013). This situation will create a pool of knowledgeable and diverse workforce that will serve the Florida community irrespective of the backgrounds of the patients.
Reference List
Dreachslin, J., Malone, B., & Gilbert, M. (2013). Diversity and Cultural Competence in Health Care: A Systems Approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Green, K., López, M., Wysocki, A., & Kepner, K. (2012). Diversity in the workplace: benefits, challenges, and the required managerial tools. Web.
Gwele, N. (2009). Diversity Management in the Workplace: beyond compliance: Congress Paper. Curationis, 32(2), 4-10.
Health Disparities Research Advisory Committee. (2011). Health Disparities Research Agenda for Florida: Phase I. Web.
Olsen, J., & Martins, L. (2012). Understanding Organizational Diversity Management Programs: A Theoretical Framework and Directions for Future Research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33(8), 1168-1187.
Oyler, J., & Golden Pryor, M. (2009). Workplace Diversity in the United States: the Perspective of Peter Drucker. Journal of Management History, 15(4), 420-451.