The N.F.L. espoused racial unity and praised health care workers. But its inaction on racial diversity, its stereotypic imagery and its decision to host a potential superspreader event said something different.
— NYT: Top Stories
Tag: diversity
Five–year commitment builds on long-standing investment in health equity
PRINCETON, N.J.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$BMY #BMS—Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation announced today a combined investment of $300 million as part of a series of commitments. For Bristol Myers Squibb and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, the commitments are designed to address health disparities, increase clinical trial diversity and for Bristol Myers Squibb, to increase the company’s spend with diverse suppliers and continue to increase Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino representation at all levels of the company. These commitments build on each entity’s experience addressing health disparities and, for Bristol Myers Squibb, its investments in increasing the diversity of its workforce.
The combined $300 million investment to health equity focuses on raising disease awareness and education, increasing health care access, and improving health outcomes for medically underserved populations. The BMS Foundation’s commitment to clinical trial diversity focuses on building clinical trial infrastructure in diverse communities and high disease burden areas in the U.S. and increasing the diversity of investigators through a fellowship program over five years.
“Our company has a long history of addressing health disparities as part of our overall mission to serve patients with serious disease,” said Giovanni Caforio, M.D., chairman and chief executive officer, Bristol Myers Squibb. “Now more than ever, we recognize the urgent need to do more to address serious gaps in care among the underserved in communities around the world. This commitment reflects our belief that investments toward achieving health equity, and increasing diversity and inclusion are opportunities to advance our vision of transforming patients’ lives through science.”
This investment follows Bristol Myers Squibb’s previous announcement to expand its existing patient support program to help eligible unemployed patients in the U.S. who have lost their health insurance due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In recent months, though, COVID-19 has exposed the severity of social and health disparities in the U.S. that increase the risk for infection and poorer health outcomes for Black/African American and Hispanic/Latino communities.
Bristol Myers Squibb and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation recognize the need to take concrete steps to better serve and collaborate with an increasingly diverse U.S. population and underserved communities around the world.
The commitments include:
- Increasing clinical trial diversity: Bristol Myers Squibb will extend the reach of clinical trials into underserved patient communities in urban and rural U.S. geographies. The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation will train and develop 250 new racially and ethnically diverse clinical investigators who will have mentorship and training opportunities, and ultimately to enroll underserved patients into clinical trials.
“Clinical trial diversity needs acceleration. We see tremendous opportunity for longer-term, sustainable impact by supporting ethnically diverse physician scientists to engage in clinical research while also establishing clinical research sites in diverse communities,” said Samit Hirawat, M.D., chief medical officer, Bristol Myers Squibb. “Over the next five years, we will extend the reach of our trials into underserved patient communities and the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation will train and develop 250 new racially and ethnically diverse clinical investigators that can enroll a diverse patient population in trials conducted across the industry.”
- Strengthening health equity work across the business: Bristol Myers Squibb will accelerate its efforts to reach at-risk patients with disease awareness and education programs and information about its patient support programs, including programs for people who cannot afford their medicines. Bristol Myers Squibb will also continue to advocate for policies that promote health equity.
- Increasing the company’s spend with diverse suppliers: Bristol Myers Squibb will spend $1 billion globally by 2025 with Black/African American and other diverse-owned businesses to help create jobs and generate positive economic impact in diverse communities.
- Increasing the diversity of the company’s workforce: Bristol Myers Squibb will expand the diversity of its workforce and leadership to ensure it reflects the evolving demographics of the patients the company serves. The company achieved gender parity across its workforce in 2015. By 2022, Bristol Myers Squibb aims to achieve gender parity at the executive level globally; double executive representation of Black/African American employees in the U.S.; and double executive representation of Hispanic/Latino employees in the U.S.
“As a patient focused company, it is vital that our workforce reflect the people, cultures and communities we serve,” added Ann Powell, chief human resources officer, Bristol Myers Squibb. “We recognize that meeting the needs of patients means we must continue to grow a powerfully diverse, and broadly inclusive, workforce.”
- Expanding our employee giving program: Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation will provide a 2-to-1 match for U.S. employee donations to organizations that fight health disparities and discrimination.
The commitments by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation build on the more than 100 active grantee projects funded by the Foundation globally to improve access to care and support, and health outcomes that have reached nearly 1.5 million people worldwide. For more information on these commitments and the work Bristol Myers Squibb is doing to transform patients’ lives through science, visit BMS.com.
About Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
About the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation
The Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation promotes health equity and seeks to improve the health outcomes of populations disproportionately affected by serious diseases by strengthening healthcare worker capacity, integrating medical care and community-based supportive services, and mobilizing communities in the fight against disease. The Foundation engages partners to develop, test, sustain and spread innovative clinic-community partnerships to help patients access care and support for cancer in the U.S., China, Africa, and Brazil and for cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis in the United States. For more information about the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, visit us at BMS.com/Foundation.
Contacts
BRISTOL MYERS SQUIBB
Media:
609-252-3345
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#haymarketmedia–Melissa Boone, JD, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, an innovative leader in human resources and an effective agent of change across multiple industries, is joining the Haymarket Media Inc. Board of Directors, effective August 1.
“Melissa will bring a strong voice and a dynamic presence to the Board in helping us drive the company’s strategic direction, ensure operational excellence, and strengthen our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion,” said CEO Lee Maniscalco. “Throughout her career she has demonstrated a passion for improving individual opportunity and ensuring equity in the workplace.”
Ms. Boone will serve the Haymarket Board in a nonexecutive, advisory capacity. In addition to taking part in regular deliberations of the US Board, she will meet monthly with Haymarket Human Resources directors in the US as well as the United Kingdom to advise them on the company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion agenda.
Ms. Boone, who served as Vice President of Human Resources at Haymarket from 2014 to 2018, is currently Vice President of Talent for DLH Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: DLHC) a global public health and medical logistics organization. In 2019 she was honored by RecognizeDC as one of the Top Human Resources and Talent professionals in the Washington, DC, area.
The Haymarket Board oversees a specialist content and information company with 24 market-leading brands in health care and business media. Headquartered in New York City with additional offices in New Jersey, Illinois, and Florida, the Haymarket US operations are part of the global Haymarket Media Group, based in the United Kingdom and founded in 1957.
The leadership experience that Ms. Boone brings to the Haymarket Board spans a broad range of public and private entities, from start-up service operations to complex multinational corporations. She has developed and implemented strategic Human Resources initiatives to improve productivity and efficiency across a diverse portfolio of industries, including Public Health, Media, Biotechnology, Professional Services, Information Technology, and Telecommunications and Engineering. Her expertise encompasses the key elements of business operations, human capital management, and employment law.
“Haymarket is a leader in its chosen markets and is committed to ensuring a dynamic and diverse workforce,” said Ms. Boone. “I am grateful for the opportunity and look forward to engaging with Leadership to ensure they remain at the forefront of the discussion.”
Ms. Boone earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology before obtaining a Juris Doctor from the University of Maryland School of Law. She is admitted to the Maryland Bar and has also earned two professional certifications–Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and the Society of Human Resource Management-Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).
“Melissa’s guidance and advice will be invaluable as we continue to develop and grow as a US employer of choice,” said Maniscalco. “Not only does she bring a wealth of subject matter expertise, she also knows our business and our people, and that is hugely advantageous. Her leadership skills and innovative spirit will help us build upon a culture that draws on each individual’s unique strengths and abilities to achieve success for the entire organization.”
“Melissa’s appointment further underlines our commitment to DE&I,” said Kevin Costello, CEO of Haymarket Media Group. “As a global company, we are inherently multicultural, and that creates inspiring and engaging content, experiences, events, and products that are as diverse as the audiences and communities we serve. We are equally as committed to ensuring our workforce reflects those audiences. I am thrilled Melissa is rejoining HMinc in a nonexecutive director capacity; her understanding of us together with her rich experience brings a wealth of knowledge and challenge to our US business that I am really looking forward to.”
About Haymarket
Haymarket Media, Inc. is an award-winning specialist content and information company. With 24 market-leading media brands, Haymarket offers unmatched expertise and insight through balanced, relevant, original content across a spectrum of media channels. Haymarket is home to highly regarded health care professional brands such as The Clinical Advisor, Dermatology Advisor, and MPR (Monthly Prescribing Reference) among a portfolio of HCP-focused, specialty-specific websites, as well as the esteemed business media titles PRWeek and MM&M (Medical Marketing & Media).
Contacts
Kelley Slavik, Communications Manager
History teaches us that America thrived for decades with appropriate, controlled approach to immigration that allowed for ethnic diversity of cultures, literature, art, foods, music and other contributions from immigrants who assimilated into America’s common culture and institutions.
However, unless we preserve the values of a “melting pot’’ culture that makes America great, we stand to lose the successes of a country that brings people together, and America will change its appeal to the world.
During Black History Month, leaders and organizers of events hope that Americans at large and African-Americans will remember our history, our struggles, and the black males and females who have contributed to American society and thus makes it a better place to live for future generations.
Likewise, many other cultures and minority groups in America share a similar sentiment of wanting inclusion and recognition for their contributions to making America great.
But with illegal immigration, a struggling economy and declining real wages, terrorism and national security, government spending and taxation, record-high political partisanship, America has been changing its tune on immigration.
Times have been tense in America for years, with the double-whammies of the Great Recession and the roll-out of Obamacare pitting the left against the right. With dollars seeming scarcer, America’s diverse groups may feel more competitive than cooperative, anxious about access to jobs, housing, and government influence.
The election of billionaire real estate mogul, Donald Trump, to the White House has exacerbated the already wide gulf between the left and right. As perhaps the most controversial major party presidential nominee in history, Trump’s aggressive and unchecked rhetoric had already incensed women, minorities, and the LGBTQ community long before Election Day. His election upset, coming despite losing the popular vote by a record 2.9 million votes, was seen by many as a signal that a wide swath of the electorate no longer appreciated diversity or inclusiveness.
Trump’s inaugural address, in which he declared “America first,” further alarmed the left by taunting the Washington establishment and declaring that America had been taken advantage of by other countries. The property tycoon blamed foreigners for the United States’ economic malaise, both illegal immigrants allegedly taking jobs and globalized competitors allegedly taking America’s business.
Immediately after taking office on Jan. 20, Donald Trump continued raising eyebrows by seeking to keep all of his campaign promises. While politicians are ordinarily lauded for such practice, Trump’s supporters had actually tried to make the billionaire more palatable to the public by insisting that he should not be taken literally. Literally is what we have gotten from the Oval Office: Trump’s most controversial acts in his two weeks in office have been signing executive orders to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border and ban any immigrants or refugees from seven predominantly-Islamic nations in the Middle East.
These two executive orders hammer home that the White House no longer considers the United States to be a genuine melting pot. Immigrants were once accepted as part of the powerful blend of America, but no more. In Trump’s America, immigrants are seen as statistics that must be monitored: Examined for crime, economic contribution, birth rate, use of welfare. While the president has not publicly suggested that immigration be discontinued, he has gone further than any modern-day predecessor in insisting that immigration has been a bust rather than a boon.
By portraying immigrants from Latin America as criminals, rapists, and drug dealers, Trump has actively sought to turn his supporters, and all citizens, against the idea of America as a melting pot. He wants us to see Mexicans as dangerous job-stealers and Muslims as budding proto-terrorists. If he can destroy the age-old idea of the U.S. as a melting pot, he can successfully pit societal groups against each other and enhance his own power. Once we become a society of us-versus-them, each group will constantly seek the favor of the White House…and guarantee Trump a second term.
— Calvin Wolf contributed to this report
Wolf is his pen name and he has published over 2,000 articles on sites like the Yahoo! ContributorNetwork, Examiner, Helium, DigitalJournal, The News Hub, and Hubpages, as well as for his local newspaper. He has also published eight political thriller novels and is an AP teacher.
Categories
Thanksgiving dishes piece of paradise
It was several years since I last visited paradise–my native country–Jamaica, where I spent a milestone birthday in July.
Going back after so many years away was a real treat that really allowed me to relax, instead of thinking much about the fact that I am now a middle-aged lady who has more to accomplish in her life.
However, living in the United States for more than 23 years, has taught me that the diversity here makes this country strong and interesting, attracting millions of immigrants each decade.
I enjoy living in New Jersey and dressing for the drastic changes in temperatures each season, but I prefer summer months. For that reason, I try to have a taste of the tropics all year.
Whenever possible, I also like to introduce others to my native culture. Thanksgiving Day is an opportune time to do this.
I usually spend the day with my family and we usually have guests who are sometimes not Jamaicans. I usually invite our guests to sample some of our native foods. Last year, we watched original Jamaican movies with our Haitian guest. In the past, we have also listened to Jamaican Christmas music or reggae music at Thanksgiving.
While I embrace being an American citizen, I am always celebrating my heritage. Throughout the year, I cook with Jamaican curry powder and eat other Jamaican foods. In the summer months, I like to go out to listen to live reggae bands.
The U.S. is considered a melting pot that welcomes immigrants from all over the world. The different ethnicities usually start businesses, such as restaurants that feature their native dishes. Some immigrants, like the Chinese in Chinatown, New York City and Philadelphia, build communities here in the U.S., which resemble their native homelands.
Some Jamaicans have done the same, in Miami, for example. We have a vibrant heritage that we like to share. Jamaicans have roots from all over the world. The country’s motto states: “Out of many, one people.” The majority of the population is of African descent. “Indians, Chinese, Irish, and many more have left their imprint on Jamaican culture,” states a Jamaican travel website.
I was very excited to experience a piece of paradise earlier this year. Although Jamaica has changed a lot over the years, still a lot remain the same. The tropical plants are still beautiful. The sea still looks clear and blue. The beaches are still breathtaking. The landscape is truly amazing.
According to an article on Jamaica-gleaner.com, “Over the years, Jamaica’s compelling natural beauty has attracted more than a few individuals of worldwide acclaim.”
The article mentions the “swashbuckler movie hero, Errol Flynn, who had an abiding love affair with Port Antonio,” the capital city of the parish of Portland. This parish is located just north of the popular Blue Mountains.
British writer, Ian Fleming, was also attracted to Jamaica, land of beauty. Fleming created British spy, James Bond.
There was also Noel Coward, who along with Fleming, were both “pulled” to Jamaica’s north coast.
Jamaica’s natural beauty is just the beginning of the attraction. But it gets more exciting when one begins interacting the with locals, starts partying, and eating the food. The experience makes you want to visit again.
On Thanksgiving Day, tomorrow, I look forward to having tasty Jamaican dishes. I like to experience other cultures as well. So, I try other foods too.
Jamaicans embrace diversity just like the United States does. The island’s motto, “Out of Many, One People,” is basically saying we are one. There are many faces, many races, but we are one spirit and one heart.
Bob Marley’s reggae music encourages us to unite.
At Thanksgiving we can extend our experience of the “melting pot” here in the United States. Many will celebrate by tasting different dishes. We can all celebrate our cultures and our foods with each other.
As we remember to give thanks at Thanksgiving, we should also remember where we are from and why we are living in the United States. Many of us left loved ones in our native countries to be here. Some of us are here because of political oppression, job opportunities, university scholarships and many other reasons.
The United States is a haven to many and we might have ties to other countries but we have to give thanks to be here for many reasons.
It is wonderful that we can express our diversity. It is great that I can visit my native country and share my experiences here. The island of Jamaica is truly a beautiful experience and I look forward to having a piece of paradise at Thanksgiving.