More in Common Alliance and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Partner to Diversify Representation in Health Care

March 6, 2024

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) and the More in Common Alliance (MiCA) are breaking barriers in the Puget Sound region by convening community partners who can help build pathways for diverse clinicians. The organizations are hosting regional events to gather local policymakers, school administrators, hospital leaders and community members who are pivotal to expanding opportunities for Black and underrepresented minority clinicians in the workforce.

“As part of our comprehensive efforts to advance health equity, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health recognizes that equity must be ingrained in all aspects of health care, starting with our workforce development and training. We are honored to work closely with More in Common Alliance to engage our communities in this critical effort to create long-lasting change,” said Ketul J. Patel, CEO of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and President of the Northwest Region of CommonSpirit Health.

In alignment with the mission, vision and values of the Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health, VMFH’s parent company, the More in Common Alliance was created to advance health equity by increasing the percentage of providers that have been historically underrepresented in medicine, across the United States, and throughout our health care system.

Community events are a key component of this work, with the most recent community forum hosted in Bremerton, WA on February 21. The event convened top community and school district leaders from the Kitsap region to discuss opportunities to increase the number of people of color in the field of medicine. These events highlight the importance of exposing students of all ages to the numerous and interesting opportunities available in the health care field while elevating the importance of this work to community leadership. Past events occurred both in Seattle and Tacoma in 2023.

"If you think about the goal that the Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health share, it's really to improve the health of their community. They are dedicated to serving those populations which would be described as marginalized or vulnerable," said Veronica Mallett, MD, Chief Administrative Officer of More in Common Alliance

Another essential aspect of the MiCA’s work regionally with VMFH is an undergraduate medical training program for students from the Morehouse School of Medicine, to address two of the most pressing challenges in health care–a shortage of diverse clinicians and the need for more equitable care. Now in its second year of operation, VMFH hosts several new Morehouse School of Medicine students every month for rotations in anesthesiology, urology and more across VMFH’s Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle and St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma.

The health system continues to find opportunities to expand this program regionally which is part of a 10-year, $100 million initiative led by CommonSpirit Health to improve both access and quality of care for patients.

About More in Common Alliance

In alignment with the mission, vision, and values of the Morehouse School of Medicine and CommonSpirit Health, the More in Common Alliance exists to create health equity by increasing the percentage of providers historically underrepresented in medicine, across the United States, and throughout our health care system. Learn more at: moreincommonalliance.org

About Virginia Mason Franciscan Health

Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is an integrated health system serving the Puget Sound region, offering access to some of the country’s most prestigious experts and hospitals that are internationally known for superior quality. With a team of 18,000 team members, including nearly 5,000 employed physicians and affiliated providers, we unite the brightest health care minds in the region to provide world-class clinical excellence at 10 hospitals and nearly 300 sites of care throughout the Puget Sound area. We are proud to be the home of Bailey-Boushay House, the first skilled nursing and outpatient chronic care management program in the United States designed specifically to meet the needs of people with HIV/AIDS, and Benaroya Research Institute, which is internationally recognized for autoimmune disease research. We embrace our community’s uniquely vibrant, active culture by providing holistic, personalized and patient-centered care. We are committed to caring for the most vulnerable in our communities, especially the poor and underserved, providing more than $300 million in community benefit–free, subsidized and reduced cost health care and programs.