Sally Deitch, MSN, MHA, RN, FACHE, Executive Vice President, Nursing and Operations Infrastructure, Ascension, has been named one of Modern Healthcare’s Top 25 Diversity Leaders for 2022.
The Top Diversity Leaders in Healthcare recognition program honors the top diverse healthcare executives and organizations influencing policy, care delivery and public health, and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and the healthcare industry.
Sally has responsibility for leading Nursing, Operations Integration and Alignment, Operations Infrastructure, Medxcel, The Resource Group, Pharmacy, Laboratory, Transfer Center Operations, and Case Management.
“In just a short time Sally has made a significant impact on our commitment to providing compassionate, personalized care to all, especially those who need it most,” said Joseph R. Impicciche, JD, MHA, President and Chief Executive Officer. “She is a passionate and experienced healthcare leader with an extensive and deep commitment to the principles behind our ABIDE framework of Appreciation, Belongingness, Inclusion, Diversity and Equity.”
Sally is past president of the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives (NALHE) and former chair of the Texas Hospital Association. A lifelong resident of El Paso. Texas. and of Latino heritage, she has taken a personal interest in determining where and how Latinos are represented in healthcare. She provided input into compensation models and helped build a national partnership to create a career path for minorities that includes clear approaches for advancement. Ensuring socially just wages and career opportunities exist where most members of the workforce reside have been among her areas of focus.
“Sally is the blueprint of genuine and authentic leadership,” said Rolando Gomez, CEO of Latino Leadership Management and Executive Director of the NALHE. “She has built strong relationships and partnerships that have advanced diversity, inclusion, and compassion within the industry. Her visionary approach during her tenure with the NALHE resulted in a rebrand and expansion of the organization to become the association of choice for Latina, Latino, Latinx and multicultural healthcare professionals to grow professionally and lead.”
Additionally, Sally is a board member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas; and past regent-at-large of the American College of Healthcare Executives. As a regent, Sally ensured diversity-equity-inclusion issues were not only addressed within the division she served, but incorporated throughout different states. She has pointed to the fact that both skin color and where someone is born or lives can dramatically impact their healthcare — affecting access, availability, and other things they may not have control over.
Sally plays a key role in a pilot program through The Catholic University of America, a partner of Ascension, designed to build “nurses of the future” with a focus on advanced practice nurses, starting with 11 participants. Her efforts also look at the broad spectrum of health equity, which is central to Ascension’s Mission. Sally has noted, “What is fair is not always equal and what is equal is not always fair.” Sally emphasizes that the needs of different communities can differ dramatically. For example, what’s needed in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, can be very different from the needs of facilities in Tennessee’s nearby Rutherford County. For Sally, it’s critical to ensure that what Ascension is doing aligns with its Catholic identity and with what Ascension resources can be deployed to help address a community’s needs.
She is passionate about ensuring that a framework and process is in place to develop or reinforce skillsets of a diverse staff throughout Ascension. “This is key to enticing people into our organization or program,” she said. “It’s not where we live; it’s who we are.”
