b'21 N U A L R N E O R T 2 0 P ABUILDING HEALING ENVIRONMENTSAs the executive director of strategic facility delivery, Karin Henderson spends her days envisioning how Cone Health can A CHAMPION OF DIVERSITY create spaces that will improveSHARING THEMonette Mabolo, nurse departmenthealth care outcomes.TRANSGENDER PERSPECTIVEdirector, has a map of the worldFor instance, Cone Health onlyAs a transgender man, Damir in her department with a pushpinaccepted offers for the recentBalic wanted to work in an in every country that representsconstruction at Alamance Regionalatmosphere where he could make a team member. Currently, thereMedical Center from companiesfellow transgender people feel are 22 different pins representingwith their own DEI efforts. Thecomfortable and help others learn countries from Croatia to thewinning company utilized localhow to take care of patients like Philippines. But this diversity didntminority-owned businesses ashimself. Cone Healths MedCenter happen over night.subcontractors whenever possible.Kernersville has become that place.When I realized we were We wanted to partner with firms becoming a melting pot, I wantedthat understood why we think thisBalic has created an education to make sure we acknowledged is important, Henderson explains. program that he is also sharingthe diversity of the staff, she says. with other Cone Health campuses. She feels this is vital because Mabolo has found that patients both health care and DEI areHe acknowledges that stigmas are really tickled that we have complicated. When people comeexist, but he says, You have staff from different countries. It isto the table to solve problemsto learn how to address just fun to have different culturesbased on what they know and transgender individuals and not be and nationalities. No matter wheretheir personal experiences, youdisrespectful, whether its a team the nurses working with Mabolowant them to have a variety member or a patient.hail from, they all provide patientsof experiences, to bring awith exceptional care and live theperspective that will be unique. Looking forward, Balic wants to Cone Health values. continue efforts to educate people During Hendersons 16 yearsabout how to take care of and with Cone Health, shes seen aunderstand transgender patients. tremendous shift in terms of DEI.The reason I do this is because Ive seen changes in what ourone in two transgender patients leadership looks like, and I thinkdont seek health care because of thats important. We have manydiscrimination, and I want that to more women at the table, and a lotchange. I was one of those patients of diversity in color and ethnicityand I know how scary it can be to and religion at the table. seek care.7'