Diversity, equity and inclusion

At Fallon Health, our long-standing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion guides the decisions we make and the work we do as an employer, as a health plan, as a provider of care, and as an organization with responsibilities to the community it serves. We are driven by this vision:

Everyone deserves access to health care without discrimination. Fallon Health celebrates diversity and inclusion, and is committed to providing inclusive services for all. We recognize and support individuals’ abilities and rights to fully participate in society and believe that our communities are better served when we commit to providing equitable services. Fallon will continue working every day to help people of all ages, income levels, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and health status achieve their health goals.

Workforce diversity, equity and inclusion

At Fallon Health, we believe our individual differences, life experiences, knowledge, self-expression and unique capabilities allow us to better serve our members.

We embrace and encourage differences in age, race, ethnicity, gender identity and expression, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, socio-economic status and other characteristics that make people unique.

To cultivate a respectful, cooperative work environment which fosters diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, we:

  • Recruit and retain talent with diversity, equity and inclusion in mind.
  • Orient and train our workforce on unconscious bias and provide year-round educational opportunities on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging topics. Some examples include:
  • Read Watch Listen guides, featuring content on Black History, Women’s History, Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage and more
  • Guest speakers addressing disability awareness and LGBTQ inclusion
  • Implicit bias training
  • Seek out employee perspectives and encourage participation in employee resource groups such as our Council for Cultural Competency
  • Hold ourselves accountable to our diversity, equity and inclusion goals through metrics and policies such as our Inclusive Language, Anti-Harassment and Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action policies.

Health equity

Fallon Health has made health equity a strategic priority by establishing a cross-functional Health Equity Workgroup. The Workgroup identifies and prioritizes opportunities for Fallon to address heath care disparities among the organization’s membership. Guided by Fallon’s vision statement, the health equity program framework is built around five core ideas:

  • Make health equity a strategic priority
  • Develop a structure and processes through governance and accountability
  • Work to address social determinants of health on which Fallon can have the most direct impact
  • Put in place workforce development initiatives that help to decrease institutional racism within the organization
  • Work in partnership with key stakeholders

Across the organization, we are tackling improvement opportunities that support each core idea: updating policies, researching and assessing telehealth disparities, expanding the translation of member materials, and developing workforce awareness and education programs.

Fallon Health is also participating in the Health Equity Learning Collaborative, led by the Association for Community Affiliated Plans. Over the next two years, Fallon will work with 14 other health plans tor strengthen our health equity strategic plan based on local assets, context, and needs. Through the collaborative, we will be able to enhance responsiveness to community and member needs, and will have access to experts in the field, resources for developing actionable strategies to advance health equity, peer-to-peer engagement to share best practices, and tailored assistance to support implementation.

Cultural awareness

In 2018, Fallon established the Council for Cultural Competence, an employee team representing a variety of departments and roles. The Council's goal is to help our employees better serve people of varying cultures, ages, races, religions, sexual orientations, abilities and ethnicities—in a way that recognizes difference and allows individuals to feel respected and valued. The Council organizes opportunities for Fallon's workforce to learn about our diverse membership through invited speakers, facilitated discussions, culturally-themed events and suggested reading, listening and viewing materials.

Community engagement

Since its inception in 1977, Fallon Health has worked to improve the quality of life and the health status of the diverse communities we serve. Our community engagement efforts are driven by the needs of the community and fueled by a deep commitment to the mission of Fallon Health.

  • Community Benefits Program Grants
    Fallon Health provides grant funding to non-profit organizations throughout our service area. Funding decisions are focused on opportunities to help reduce cultural, linguistic and physical barriers to accessible health care and to work with community stakeholders to identify and address negative health impacts of social and environmental conditions.
  • Corporate sponsorships
    Fallon Health is proud to support like-minded organizations which provide vital services, particularly to underserved populations, or sponsor activities and events that bring the community together.
  • Employee volunteerism
    Fallon's Health's employees at all levels are deeply engaged in supporting our community outreach efforts, donating thousands of hours to lend a helping hand. In the spirit of Fallon's mission, they sit on numerous boards and committees, they volunteer to build and stock food pantries in public schools, and they rally around non-profit agencies and organizations that are working to address the community’s greatest needs.
  • Community response to the COVID-19 pandemic
    The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated many existing challenges in our communities, including food insecurity and social isolation among older adults. To respond, Fallon Health established an emergency relief fund for organizations that provide emergency food, technology, activities, resources and supplies to affected populations. As long as there is a need, we will continue to focus our resources on COVID-19 recovery efforts.

Learn more about Fallon Health's commitment to community engagement >