Improving diversity in hospital boards Research Paper

Improving diversity in hospital boards - Research Paper Example As a nation, the U.S is a melting point of multiple ethnic and racial subgroups thus, ensuring workplace diversity is essential in order to meet the various needs and demands of the diverse population. There is a need for workplace diversity as according to statistics the number Hispanic population by 2050 is expected to triple while that of the blacks is expected to double, as the white remains the same yet workplace diversity is an important challenge. The Hispanics constitute 12 percent of the American population and only 2 percent of nurse’s work as healthcare providers, and the same case applies to the black Americans. Diversity in the health care delivery system is important as it improves the access to care among the racial and ethnic small groups; it enhances a greater patient satisfaction and a better patient communication. Moreover, it enhances the cultural competence of the health care personnel that is associated with greater health care outcomes (Rosenbaum & Leona rd, 2013). The effective running of hospitals and other healthcare institutions will largely be determined by an effective cooperation between the hospital management and the board in the governance. Hospital boards play an essential role in ensuring that there is diversity in the workforce as part of their support in hospital setting. A diverse hospital board will ensure that all the needs of the different groups of people are met in an effort of reflecting and responding to the different patient’s needs. In ensuring that there is an improvement in the hospital board’s diversity, it is important for healthcare organizations to act in accordance with the diversity, policies and legislation stipulated to protect individuals from discrimination (van Knippenberg & Schippers, 2007). Thus, the health institutions need to obey the laws to ensure that there is diversity in the hospital workforce to meet the diverse needs of the patient’s population. Being aware of the