|
 |
|||||
About Health Professionals for DiversityHealth Professionals for Diversity (HPD) is a coalition of organizations that represent health-care providers, researchers, educators, students, and others dedicated to improving the health of all who live in this nation. Our mission is to promote diversity in the health professions. We understand that diversity in the health professions is crucial for protecting and promoting the health of the nation. The widening gap in health disparities, coupled with substantial growth among a number of the nation's racial and ethnic populations, bring urgency to an area that already requires critical attention. We believe that promoting diversity in the health professions not only serves as a strategy for addressing the growing problem of health-care disparities, it also contributes to improved health for all Americans. During 2004, the importance of promoting diversity was underscored with the release of two major reports, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) report, In the Nation's Compelling Interest: Ensuring a Diverse Health-Care Workforce, and the Sullivan Commission on Diversity in the Healthcare Workforce's, Missing Persons: Minorities in the Health Professions. These reports documented the benefits of diversity, examined challenges to promoting diversity, and offered policy recommendations to more effectively promote diversity. The health-care community is now in the process of reviewing those recommendations and considering how to implement them. HPD works to raise awareness of the need for diversity in the health-care workforce among health professionals, policy makers, and the public. HPD also functions as a forum to allow organizations and individuals to communicate, share knowledge, and align activities to promote diversity in the health-care workforce. In the wake of the release of the IOM and Sullivan Commission's reports, and in light of the persistent challenges facing efforts to build a more diverse workforce, this forum is needed more now than ever. |
