Recognizing that their healthcare team witnesses firsthand the barriers preventing many among us from achieving good health, Spectrum Health, which has multiple facilities across Michigan’s Great Southwest, will honor the life and times of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr next week by affirming its commitment to eliminating systemic racism and achieving health equity in its marketplace.
This Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Spectrum Health will engage in intentional conversation with team and community members, elevating the voices of those who marched with Dr. King, and encouraging team members to volunteer virtually.
Spectrum Health President & CEO Tina Freese Decker says, “Every day, our team members see firsthand the structural barriers that prevent many people of color from achieving good health and a healthy lifestyle,” and adds, “By designating Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday, Spectrum Health is making space for our team members to further Dr. King’s legacy of removing those barriers—through education, conversation, advocacy and acts of service.”
Since 2013, Spectrum Health has organized volunteer opportunities as a way for team members to observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day and to answer Dr. King’s call for justice and equality. In lieu of in-person volunteering due to the pandemic this year, Spectrum Health is encouraging its team members and others to spend time learning about the American civil rights movement.
To help community members learn more about Dr. King’s local impact, Spectrum Health has produced a series of video stories about Michigan residents who met or marched with Martin Luther King Jr. The videos are available under the “Community Stories” tab at this link: https://www.spectrumhealth.org/mlk
Spectrum Health is also encouraging its team members to read a book about diversity to a child, volunteer virtually, and explore other resources available to our community, such as the Jim Crow Museum at Ferris State University.
In addition, Spectrum Health is sponsoring the following local events:
- Distribution of food baskets in Benton Harbor, in partnership with Feeding America in Benton Harbor on Monday, January 18th
- Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Week Blood Drive in partnership with Versiti Blood Center of Michigan at Consortium for Community Development in Benton Harbor on January 22nd
Freese Decker says, “Our mission, vision and values call us to the work of addressing systemic racism and taking those actions, today and every day, that make our workplaces and communities more just, inclusive and welcoming,” and concludes, “As Dr. King himself said, ‘Human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. Human progress comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals.’”
