Editor's Note: This message was sent to the Duke Health community from Duke Health Leadership.

“Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.” — Mahatma Gandhi

April is Celebrate Diversity Month, and it allows us time to reflect on how our differences are our strengths. Celebrating diversity allows us to honor people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds and of different genders, sexual orientations and religions. In fact, this April there are three major religious holidays occurring, including Ramadan, Passover and Easter. Respect for our varied backgrounds and experiences provides a rich reserve for us to become more equitable in our patient care delivery, strategic in clinical operations and research priorities, and intentional in our educational curriculum.

At Duke Health, we are proud you chose us, and we want you to feel like you belong. The creation of affinity groups is part of that belonging, and we want to thank those who have worked to grow our resources. These groups now include the Administrative Professionals Affinity Group, the Asian American and Pacific Islander affinity group, the Duke Health LGBTQ Alliance, the Duke Military Association, Duke MINDS and WeLEAD. You can learn more at Inside Duke Health and on the corporate website. For more information about how to start an affinity group, please reach out to Patara Williams, program manager for diversity, equity and inclusion at DUHS.

The Duke University School of Medicine has an additional networking opportunity. The ME² (Motivate, Mentor, Educate & Empower) Black Employee Resource Group’s mission is to build a community focused on networking, professional development and leadership opportunities. If you are interested in participating, check out the ME² Black Employee Resource Group website.

Just this week, all three Duke hospitals were once again named 2022 LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leaders by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. This designation allows patients to search for providers and facilities where they know they will be welcomed and receive compassionate care. We are proud to be recognized yet acknowledge that there is more work to do to become a more equitable and inclusive organization for all LGBTQ+ community members.

This month, we ask you to reflect on the steps we have taken to make diversity a priority at Duke Health and the role you will play as we continue down this path. To show your support, you can download the Celebrate Diversity Month Zoom background. We appreciate continuing this journey with you.