About Us | Health Equity

For more than 150 years, Boston Children’s has embodied a culture of innovation and scientific discovery, dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. We have taken pride in providing a safe and welcoming environment for those who come to us for care and every member of our team.

Yet racism, discrimination, and hate continue to harm many of members of the Boston Children’s community physically, mentally, and emotionally. Further, the COVID-19 pandemic and its disproportionate toll on underrepresented communities has made health disparities that undermine children’s health even more apparent.

Boston Children’s is unwavering in its commitment to ensuring every child has access to the care they need and deserve. To remain true to this commitment, the hospital has implemented the following ongoing initiatives.

Boston Children’s Declaration on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity

In 2020, as part of a national reckoning with racial injustice and health disparities, Boston Children’s released a Declaration on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity. The declaration established six goals to elevate health equity as an enterprise priority, core to everything we do.

As we plan and strategize for the future, these goals serve as a roadmap in our work to recognize the impact of racism on children’s health, promote optimal health for our diverse patients, and ensure Boston Children’s is a welcoming place for all who seek our care as well as every person who works here.

• Goal 1: Boston Children’s is committed to being an inclusive environment that does not tolerate any form of racism, discrimination, or bias.
• Goal 2: Boston Children’s is committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce.
• Goal 3: Boston Children’s is committed to eliminating structural racism from all policies, guidelines, and practices.
• Goal 4: Boston Children’s is committed to comprehensively educating employees on the impact of racism on child health, unconscious bias, bystander-upstander awareness, and the role of difficult conversations in culturally effective pediatric care delivery.
• Goal 5: Boston Children’s is committed to being a leader in eliminating child health disparities in our community and our nation.
• Goal 6: Boston Children’s Hospital is committed to leading in the development, implementation, and tracking of metrics for equity, diversity, and inclusion.

Office of Health Equity and Inclusion

The Office of Health Equity and Inclusion works with departments and divisions throughout Boston Children’s to support health equity and promote culturally effective care. Among our many initiatives, we work to recruit, develop, and advance a diverse, inclusive workforce. Our enterprise-wide training on standing up to microaggressions helps ensure every Boston Children’s patient and staff feels welcome and respected here.

Sandra L. Fenwick Institute for Pediatric Health Equity and Inclusion

The Sandra L. Fenwick Institute for Pediatric Health Equity and Inclusion advances pediatric health equity locally, nationally, and around the world. The institute carries out this work in three primary areas: health equity research, inclusion, and public policy.