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EDI Council

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at The Emily Program

The Emily Program operates an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Council under our parent company, Accanto Health. Comprised of staff members from across our programs, the EDI Council champions the rights of marginalized individuals within our organization and the communities we serve.

Diverse group of people talking

Our Mission

We believe our unique perspectives and diversity of training, background, and job function enhance our community of care, creating the most optimal, dynamic, and collaborative environment for everyone.  We celebrate the different abilities, races, body sizes, and sexual orientations our staff and clients hold.  We honor the ethnicities, faiths, socio-economic statuses, belief systems, genders, and perspectives among our staff and clientele and are committed to creating an eco-system in which each person feels a sense of belonging and engagement, valued for their ideas and contributions, empowered to freely express their authentic selves, and fully able to contribute and grow. By practicing radical inclusivity, we draw on the strengths of all to create an organizational culture that values all.

Our Work

The EDI Council consists of staff members from various locations, departments, and levels of the organization. Guided by an Advisory Council, council members advocate for the needs, interests, and rights of staff and patients through a variety of activities.

  • Advise on inclusive policies and practices: Offer guidance to foster diversity and inclusion in our treatment programs, location activities, internal and external communications, and staff recruitment and retention efforts 

  • Empower staff with ongoing training: Promote training for staff to effectively understand and meet the unique needs of patients from diverse backgrounds, including BIPOC patients, gender-diverse patients, and patients in larger bodies, as well as foster workplace diversity and inclusion 

  • Host Heritage Months: Support treatment centers in recognizing Heritage Months with art and culinary activities that honor the history, contributions, and current challenges of diverse heritage groups

  • Offer support when social justice is challenged: Provide opportunities for staff reflection and support when social justice is challenged at a local, national, or global level

  • Encourage dialogue on underserved populations: Explore the underrepresentation of diverse populations within our specific programs and the field as a whole to improve access to care and increase representation of diverse individuals within the field

A Selection of Council Initiatives and Activities to Date

  • Ongoing community conversations for staff on topics such as cultural appropriation vs. appreciation and representation in the eating disorder field

  • Staff trainings on topics related to equity and inclusion, including food insecurity, racism in mental health, implicit bias in clinical practice, LGBTQ+ affirmative care, and culturally competent nutrition

  • Monthly BIPOC affinity groups as a place of support and community for staff who identify as members of racially and/or ethnically marginalized groups

  • Healing space conversations to process, connect, and organize around current events, such as gun violence and legislative decisions

  • Ongoing anti-racism consulting

  • Implementation of gender-inclusive care training as part of staff onboarding and anti-bullying policies

  • Revision of the patient information form (PIF) to be more inclusive in race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation categories

  • Supervision to ensure that curriculum and clinical care are trauma-informed and culturally humble

  • Ongoing celebration of heritage months at treatment centers, including spirit weeks for staff and art and culinary projects for clients

  • Resources for additional education and external community involvement

EDI Advisory Council

The EDI Council is led by an Advisory Council that includes the following positions:

  • Sydney Brodeur-Johnson, Vice President for Clinical Services and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Sydney elevates the Council’s observations, feedback, and recommendations to Accanto Health’s Executive Team, providing support, advocacy, and guidance to align the Council’s efforts with the organization’s goals.

  • Megan Fiscus, External Communications Coordinator, responsible for creating and delivering messages externally

  • Sarah Zuber, Internal Communications Coordinator, responsible for creating and delivering messages internally

  • Site Coordinators, who coordinate meetings, plan events, and follow up on action items at their Emily Program treatment location. Current site coordinators and co-coordinators include:

    • Amra Budimlic – Anna Westin House
    • Angela Hasouris – St. Louis Park
    • Anne Marie Muench – Anna Westin House
    • Caitlyn Shoemaker – South Sound
    • Catherine Weiss – Seattle Outpatient & Residential
    • Daryl Esese – Anna Westin House West
    • Diana Garbison – Anna Westin House
    • Emma Rose – South Sound
    • Heather Petraszko – Cleveland Residential
    • Jenna Daugherty – Cleveland
    • Jill Fondriest – Columbus
    • Joanne Parks – Atlanta
    • Katie McMahon – Cleveland
    • Kelsey Todd – Seattle
    • Madeline Koermer – Triangle (Durham)
    • Maggie Weller – St. Paul (Como)
    • Melissa Kalinowski – Cleveland Residential
    • Mia Denuit – Anna Westin House West
    • Rachel Burke – Douglas (Durham)
    • Sarah Zuber – St. Paul (Como)
    • Stacey Schrimsher – South Sound
    • Summer Starkey – Douglas (Durham)

Additional Resources

A group of employees holding their hands together in unity

Introducing our Integrated Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Council

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Transgender flag

Accanto Health’s Statement of Support for the Transgender Community

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The photo overlooks a group of individuals overlapping their hands in solidarity.

Voices of Impact: Accanto Health’s EDI Advisory Council

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A heart made from hands set with a rainbow filter

Eating Disorders in the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Community

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Megan Fiscus

Beyond Female and Male: Exploring the Sacred Union in Yoga

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QuJane' Gordon Gulley gathers with family to celebrate Juneteenth

Honoring Juneteenth: A Q&A with The Emily Program’s QuJane` Gordon-Gulley

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