Our Lady of the Lake Health Receives the 2023 AONL Prism Award in Recognition of Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
April 25, 2023
BATON ROUGE — Our Lady of the Lake Health is honored as the 2023 recipient of the Prism Award from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL). The Prism Award is a national award that recognizes an organization that is a leader in advancing diversity and inclusion efforts within the healthcare industry in addition to surrounding communities.
At Our Lady of the Lake Health, efforts to promote efficient and inclusive care continue to be elevated through the nurse-led Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Council. The council began in 1990 and was relaunched in 2016. The development of workplace and community programs continues to progress. The council engaged the Dialogue on Race Louisiana series for leadership and team members. Dialogue on Race is a structured program to increase knowledge about racism, the systems and structures that perpetuate racism in today's social construct and racism's impact on everyday lives.
"As the largest faith-based health system in the state, we have a responsibility to grow, learn and innovate to meet the needs of our patients, community and workforce," said Chuck Spicer, Our Lady of the Lake Health president. "Our team, led by nursing leaders, drives efforts to connect patients to community-based social services."
Our Lady of the Lake patients remain connected to primary care – which makes up 75% of the patient volume. Nurses catalyzed the decision to craft questions related to the social determinants of health in nursing assessments and patient records in addition to connecting patients to community-based social services in an effort to better meet the needs of our patients.
"We continue to answer the call for inclusion in daily healthcare practices," said Coletta Barrett, Vice President of Mission at Our Lady of the Lake. "Through our commitment to the mission of faith, we continue to lead with tenacity to an even stronger future of healing."
To learn more about the DE&I Council mission at Our Lady of the Lake, visit fmolhs.org/dei.
About Our Lady of the Lake Health
Our Lady of the Lake Health is a not-for-profit Catholic healthcare ministry based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with more than 7,500 employees committed to serving the Capital Region and building a healthy community through excellence in patient care and education. With an 800-bed Regional Medical Center, a dedicated Children’s Hospital, a 78-bed hospital in Gonzales, Louisiana, two freestanding emergency rooms in outlying parishes, and a 600+ provider Physician Group, Our Lady of the Lake Health provides comprehensive healthcare services for common to complex conditions. Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center is a primary teaching site for graduate medical education programs in partnership with LSU, and is recognized in the areas of heart and vascular, trauma and emergency care, stroke, cancer care, minimally invasive procedures, and more. Our Lady of the Lake is part of the Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System and is driven by its mission to serve all God’s people, especially those most in need. For more information, visit ololrmc.com.