Trillium Selected for an Award from National Leadership Program

Trillium Health Resources selected for an award from national leadership program to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare

GREENVILLE, N.C. -- Cindy Ehlers, MS, LCMHC, Chief Operations Officer, Senitria Goodman, JD, Chief Compliance Officer/General Counsel, Hayley Sink, MPA, Director of Health Equity and Innovation, and LaDonna Latney-Battle, DNP-ENL, MSN, Care Management and Population Health Officer, have been selected to receive an award for Best Overall Project. The team from Trillium Health Resources was selected for this award out of 7 healthcare organizations from around the United States from the Disparities Leadership Program’s 2023-2024 class. This award is based on various criteria, including the breadth of impact of the project on the organization, the use of Disparities Leadership Program tools and skills, and overall achievements over the course of the year.

The Disparities Leadership Program is the first program of its kind in the nation and is designed for leaders from hospitals, health insurance plans, and other healthcare organizations who are seeking to develop practical strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care.  The program is led by the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in Boston, Massachusetts.  

The Disparities Leadership Program aims to create leaders prepared to meet the challenges of healthcare transformation by improving quality for at-risk populations who experience disparities. The program has three main goals:

• To arm healthcare leaders with a rich understanding of the causes of disparities and the vision to implement solutions and transform their organization to deliver high-value healthcare.
• To help leaders create strategic plans or projects to advance their work in reducing disparities in a customized way, with practical benefits tailored to every organization. 
• To align the goals of health equity with health care reform and value-based purchasing. 

“What we have learned from working with other health care organizations for over a decade is that there is a thirst for knowledge on how to operationalize and execute strategies to address racial and ethnic disparities, but also to be part of a community that can crowdsource ideas,” said Aswita Tan-McGrory, MBA, MSPH, Director of the Disparities Solutions Center at MGH. “Especially in this current national climate of a call to action for social justice, participating organizations create a powerful network of leaders coming together to support and learn from each other toward the common goal of eliminating disparities,” Ms. Tan-McGrory said.

“Trillium is dedicated to achieving health equity for every community and individual served across our 46 counties to have the opportunity to reach their fullest potential. As we strive to transform the lives of our members through integrated, whole person care, we must address the lack of access and barriers to equitable services and health-related resource needs,” said Joy B. Futrell, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of Trillium Health Resources. “We are honored to be recognized by the Disparities Leadership Program. Trillium is proud of these four staff who worked to gain this knowledge to help lead Trillium in developing the disparities solutions that will ensure delivery of high-value healthcare for all,” Ms. Futrell said.

Individuals interested in joining Trillium’s Health Equity Council can click here.

ABOUT TRILLIUM HEALTH RESOURCES

Trillium Health Resources is an innovative health plan for individuals with serious behavioral health, intellectual/developmental disabilities, and traumatic brain injury in 46 counties in North Carolina. Through contracts with NCDHHS, we serve Medicaid members on NC Medicaid Direct, state-funded recipients who are uninsured, and members on the Innovations Waiver. Trillium’s mission is transforming lives and building community well-being through partnership and proven solutions. We take an integrated approach to health and wellbeing, coordinating care across multiple systems to achieve improved health outcomes, quality of care and efficient use of resources. Trillium is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of the individuals and communities we serve, and remains focused on delivering the right services, in the right amount, at the right time. For more information, visit www.TrilliumHealthResources.org.

ABOUT DISPARITIES LEADERSHIP PROGRAM

The Disparities Leadership Program is jointly sponsored by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) and supported by Joint Commission Resources (JCR), an affiliate of the Joint Commission.