AKRON, Ohio — Akron Children’s now has a new Family Resource Center as well as a Unity Center with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to a press release from the hospital.

What You Need To Know

  • Akron Children’s now has a new Family Resource Center as well as a Unity Center with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), according to a press release from the hospital

  • The Family Resource Center will provide families with information, resources and connections with hospital staff and community organizations

  • The Unity Center “will serve as a welcoming space for employees, volunteers, patient families, and the community” and will be the home of the hospital’s DEI team

  • Both new centers can be found on the hospital’s third floor in a freshly renovated space

The Family Resource Center will provide families with information, resources and connections with hospital staff and community organizations. They will be able to take advantage of services such as translation and language access services, a computer access and business center, the Summit County Public Health WIC Clinic and more according to the release.

“In creating our new Family Resource Center, we considered how we can best help and support families in a different way,” said Heather Wuensch, director of community benefit, advocacy & outreach, in the release. “Our vision is fairly unique: To create one place with convenient access to all the support services a family may need. This is a really exciting opportunity to better serve our patient families and provide them with a place to gather resources or more information, or simply relax.”

It will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Meanwhile, the Unity Center “will serve as a welcoming space for employees, volunteers, patient families, and the community” and will be the home of the hospital’s DEI team.

“We want people to come in and become familiar with this space,” said Bernett L. Williams, the hospital’s chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer and vice president external initiatives in the release. “We selected vibrant colors and patterns and comfortable furniture because we want it to be a welcoming environment. The colors and the other details of the space were selected so people would feel comfortable coming in and staying a while.”

The release also notes the DEI team’s efforts to plan various “cultural and inclusive events” at the center.

“This work is not about trying to make anyone think a particular way,” Williams said in the release. “I see it as opportunities to help expand our knowledge base, expand our thinking and understanding. Knowledge is power and with that knowledge, each individual can decide if they take action. We just want to make sure people are equipped with information.”

The hospital’s CEO, Chris Gessner, said the hospital’s goal is to have a diverse workforce that serves as a reflection of their patient community.

“Having an environment where our staff and patient families feel safe, understood, supported and welcome helps us provide the world-class pediatric care we’re known for, and the Family Resource Center and the Unity Center will expand and deepen these efforts,” Gessner said in the release.

Both new centers can be found on the hospital’s third floor in a freshly renovated space.

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