The Added Value of Unique Perspective and Experience — in conversation with Rex M. Everett
When serving a larger community, it is necessary to include the marginalized. This is especially true when being in the healthcare industry. Having representation is the precursor to providing the best service and healthcare for those who aren’t majorly represented. Too often, people are overlooked and not thought of simply because their experience isn’t ubiquitously shared. To have a healthy society, equity in healthcare is necessary.
Today we are in conversation with Rex Everett, whose mission is to bring about health equity. Rex talks about the importance of representation and how imperative it is for a healthcare board to have diversity to give voice to the needs of those who are often unheard and overlooked.
After having worked for many years in business development in the health care industry, you are getting ready to serve on boards. What is the reason you want to serve on boards, what is the difference you want to make, and what will your added value be?
“I’ve been in healthcare for over 40 years. Twenty of those years I spent in the hospital setting itself in operations, whereas the other 20 years I’ve been on the business development side. While working within the hospital setting, I learned the intricacies of how a hospital works and operates from the C-suite executives, the administrative staff, the medical staff, and the community outreach side to charity care. From the business development side, I learned the workings of the healthcare system from a macro level by visiting and having partnerships with many different hospitals and healthcare systems throughout the country. Working on the micro and macro level of healthcare affords me a unique perspective on the industry as a whole.
“I will not only bring my insight and network to the board but also bring quality healthcare to the marginalized in our society. It’s a sad truth that a significant portion of the population is underserved. Part of that is driven by the lack of diversity representation on hospital boards. Boards usually operate from a governance perspective; they always look to do the right thing. However, your lens is only as broad as your experience. The lack of diversity on hospital boards is what I see as one of the more significant issues, particularly around health inequity. When you don’t have representation, that person in the room who understands the needs of a particular community and can voice them, then often the needs of the underserved will go unheard.
“Being African American myself, I can bring the necessary expertise to serve the needs of our underserved communities, particularly communities of color. To address those of color, we need more board representation of people of color to help bring that perspective as they’re looking for oversight in the healthcare environment.”
Thank you for sharing, Rex.
