ABIDE news | January 2024

JANUARY 2024 MLK Day: Ascension associates share Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quotes that inspire them (8-minute read) Ascension Wisconsin Blanket of Love program (6-minute read) Ministry Market Spotlight: Ascension Oklahoma Human Trafficking and Response Program builds trust with victims, helps bring them to safety (5-minute read) Ascension St. John Clinical Research Institute receives inaugural Global Site Excellence in Diversity Award (1-minute read)

NATIONAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION MONTH January 1-30

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY Monday, January 15

INTERNATIONAL HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY Thursday, January 27

MLK Day: Ascension associates share quotes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. that inspire them most

On Monday, January 15, Ascension recognizes the birthday and global contributions of civil rights leader and philanthropist Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King's words and vision align with our Mission to serve those who are most vulnerable, our shared fundamental belief that all persons are created in the image and likeness of God and are therefore endowed with inalienable human dignity, and our ABIDE framework, which calls for us to practice Appreciation, Belongingness, Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity with our associates, patients and the communities we serve.

This year, associates from across Ascension shared some of their favorite MLK quotes .and how his words have inspired and impacted their lives. Join the conversation and post yours on the ABIDE Kudoboard.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you can’t see the whole staircase.”

So often we can be frozen with fear of the unknown, paralyzed by the concern for risk. Having faith in ourselves and our beliefs gives us the courage to move boldly forward, despite the undetermined future.

Have faith!

Mo Moorman, Senior Director of External Communications, Ascension Wisconsin This quote is in my living room at home as a daily reminder for my family and me to do what we are called to do. I am a firm believer that missed opportunities occur because we desire to know the outcome instead of going on the journey and learning valuable lessons.

Marquita Motley, Associate Experience Advisor, Ascension Living

“If we as a people allow darkness to rule our existence, we will never have a brighter future. Hate can only prosper if we as a people allow it to! If we love, help and support one another, we can grow and be a better society as a whole.”

Rasheeda Henderson, Health Information Management Lead, Ascension Via Christi

“In the current state of our world of hate and darkness, these words hold true - God is love, and without Him (Love) we have no resolution for our world's current problems.”

Kisha Hall, Patient Access Representative, Ascension Medical Group Via Christi, Ascension Kansas

“This quote inspires me because violence does not get rid of violence. Many (not all) feel the answer to negativity is negativity. If we focus on this inspirational quote from MLK, we can focus our energy on changing situations we are unhappy about and not continuing to be part of the problem.”

Samantha Daugherty, RN, Quality Director, Ascension Living “I think MLK lived life like we all should: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I try to live like this at home, work and in my community. When I think about the words that MLK was still able to speak despite what he went through, I am inspired to be better.”

Daisy Gannon, Pharmacy Manager, Ascension Saint Thomas Stones River, Ascension Tennessee “When I see what is happening in our communities and around the world, the only word that comes to mind is HATE. If we can find it in our hearts to accept one another as we are and drive HATE from our hearts, we can make a change.”

Julie Sanchez, MD, Pediatric Surgeon, Dell Children's, Ascension Texas

"We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now."

This quote speaks to me because I am an immigrant to this country. I connect with the history of our nation of immigrants. I share in a hope for a better future forged by all, generation after generation, through belonging to our shared humanity and through solidarity with all.”

Calin Tamiian, Spiritual Care and CPE System Director, Ascension Saint Thomas, Ascension Tennessee

"America is essentially a dream. It is a dream of a land where men [and women] of all races, of all nationalities, and of all creeds, can live together as brothers [and sisters]...

All I'm saying is simply this, that all life is interrelated. We are tied in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. And whatever it affects one directly it affects all indirectly. And as long as there is extreme poverty in this world, no one can be totally rich, even if he has a billion dollars. As long as diseases are rampant and millions of people cannot expect to live more than 28 or 30 years, no one can be totally healthy even if he just got a checkup in the finest clinic of the nation. Strangely enough, I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be. And you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be.

This is the interrelated structure of reality.”

“This is the reminder that we are all connected. In a society that is individualistic, we need the reminder that we are not alone and that being human makes us responsible for supporting one another.”

- Jennifer Jarvis, Chaplain, Ascension On Demand Spiritual Care “Martin Luther King had the heart of loving Jesus, a servant's heart, a heart of love and justice for all humankind. His words, 60 years later, are still heard and that dream for our country is alive in me - justice for all.”

-Ronnie Stewart, Director of Spiritual Care, Ascension Kansas

‘GO DEEPER’ TEAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Discuss how one of the quotes shared above aligns with our ABIDE framework.

How do the words and philosophy of MLK inspire you in your current role?

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

The words of MLK resonate with the driving spirit of human existence, which is to persevere when times are less than favorable, stand strong during moments of adversity and rise to the challenge when opposition/oppressive forces cast shadows of fear.

Marcus Anthony, Safety Officer II, Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown, Ascension Tennessee We all get comfortable and complacent and tend to shy away from things. When times are tough, it can be difficult to stand up and do the right thing, even if it’s for the right reasons.

Brenda Zingsheim, Associate Experience Advisor, Ascension Living Wisconsin

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes APPRECIATION — “When you come to the point that you look in the face of every [person] and see deep down within [them] what religion calls ‘the image of God,’ you begin to love [them].”

BELONGINGNESS — “Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.”

INCLUSIVITY — “We must believe that a prejudiced mind can be changed, and that [all people], by the grace of God, can be lifted from the valley of hate to the high mountain of love.”

DIVERSITY — “God has a great plan for this world. His purpose is to achieve a world where all [people] live together as brothers [and sisters], and where every [person] recognizes the dignity and worth of all human personality.”

EQUITY — “We are called to speak for the weak and the voiceless ... We must with positive action seek to remove those conditions of poverty, insecurity and injustice.”

Ascension Michigan © Ascension 2021. All rights reserved. 25935 (12/13/21)

Ministry Market Spotlight: Ascension Wisconsin ministry helps to reduce infant mortality with Blanket of Love program In 2004, after learning the average child born in a developing country had a better chance of reaching its first birthday than a child born in Milwaukee, Parish Nurse Julia Means decided to make a change in the lives of the patients and community she serves at Ascension Columbia St. Mary's Hospital - Milwaukee Campus. As a result, Julia created the Blanket of Love program where she and her team provide prenatal and parenting education for young women to improve the health of both mother and baby to help address and reduce infant mortality in Milwaukee. Young parents receive information about their baby’s development, nutritional tips, and infant care. The program includes 16 participating “sanctuary” churches and each of Ascension Wisconsin’s three Milwaukee hospitals.

In this month’s Ministry Market Spotlight, Julia and social worker Brenda Hoskins, who both work in the hospital’s Community Impact department, share how the Blanket of Love program has kept pace with the critical problems facing young women in the community every day and its success in reducing infant mortality.

Q: When did Blanket of Love launch, and what were the greatest challenges?

Julia: The Blanket of Love program started in 2004 with one church, the Ebenezer Church. Back then, my biggest problem was transportation in getting moms to our programs. I was doing a lot of dropping off and picking up in the church van. As time passed, I thought it would be nice if we offered the program in different parts of the city closer to where these mothers lived. Churches wanted to be involved and before the pandemic, we had grown to 36 church locations.

Q: What are the plans for the program?

Brenda: Today we have programs in 16 churches. This coming year we hope to re-engage churches we previously worked with and recruit new ones.

Q: What were the issues for young mothers when the program began?

Julia: When I started the program, I was mostly dealing with teenagers, very young moms. Their issues were totally different than the moms we support today because they still lived at home and were supported by their parents. Now, the mothers are older and their problems are more complex. If Brenda Hoskins wasn't on the team, I don't know what we would do because she spends a lot of time working with them in their complexity of poverty, which has a lot to do with infant mortality.

Q: How have the problems changed?

Brenda: I joined the team in June of 2018 because the churches hosting the Blanket of Love sessions were asking for a social worker that could help connect mothers to resources available in our community.

Housing issues are at the top of the list.

Q: Can you share a story that illustrates these issues?

Brenda: I can share the story of a recent referral that I received from one of our local hospitals here in Milwaukee. A mother had a cesarean section. She is unhoused and was living in a shelter. She was going to be discharged that very next day. The shelter where she had been staying brought her things to the hospital and dropped them off. She couldn't return because of the shelter’s policy, so I began to place calls to find a place for her and the baby to stay.

I receive inquiries from women asking for help, but I first have to ask their age because some resources have age restrictions. Then, I have to ask how many children they have because some resources only allow for them to have so many children. Next, I ask if they are willing to live outside of Milwaukee county.

Q: Why are churches critical to the success of the program?

Julia: The rent in Milwaukee is extremely expensive now. It can be a challenge to pay a thousand dollars a month for a small, not-so-good apartment. And, if a mother is evicted, it is even more difficult to become eligible to rent again. We know that stress has a lot to do with premature birth and is very high on the list as far as infant mortality. Not being able to maintain a household and still having children is another reason why it was so important to me that we offer the Blanket of Love program at local churches. Churches can wrap these families up like a blanket with love with understanding and no judgment and guide them to lead better lives. Churches can offer the wisdom of mature mothers, many of whom have walked the fine line of poverty themselves and are able to make it through the grace of God. I always tell them, as a mother, you must know how to pray. You'll be praying a lot. No matter how old those children are, you're gonna be praying for them. We want to give them the educational tools that they need to be successful, but we also want them to know the love that Christ can give.

Q: Do you have an example of how you work to educate young moms?

Brenda: One of our moms that we worked with a lot is one of our many success stories. When we met her, she was pregnant with her fifth child who is now 3 years old. The mother was a foster child herself and unfortunately, the vicious cycle continued. Three of her children were in the system at that time. We worked with her on her parenting style and parenting skills. She had to unlearn some things as she grew up in a toxic relationship with her birth mother.

Q: Can you describe what some of the young mothers face that you work with?

Julia: We have witnessed that a family is the most fragile after a mother delivers her baby. After a baby is born, they’re fragile because a mother may start working to make money, then resources such as child care and food stamps may get cut because she makes too much money. They're fragile because they could go through postpartum depression. They're fragile because their finances change.

They’re fragile because they have to integrate a new baby into their families.

They’re fragile because they can’t afford diapers. And so they really need us at that time.

Q: What is your inspiration?

Julia: Teen mothers often send us photos of their children that are now in college.

These are children that some people might have written off. I know this program works. I've had mothers say that their life has changed and they raised their children differently. Helping a family become stronger and healthier is doing God’s work.

Q: What are you most passionate about?

Brenda: My passion really comes from my love for children. These women need to know that God loves them. We love them and we all can be in this together to learn and grow through this walk of life.

Germone Youngblood pays close attention to EMT instructors as he practices lifesaving infant CPR techniques.

‘GO DEEPER’ TEAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: This feature may be used as a tool or topic for discussions with your team. Here are a few discussion questions/prompts for you and your team to explore: 1. What are some common contributors to infant mortality?

2. Besides compassionate, inclusive healthcare at a facility, what outside resources are critical to the survival of infant babies?

Ministry Market Spotlight: Ascension Oklahoma Human Trafficking Education and Response Program builds trust with victims, helps bring them to safety

Before major awareness was brought to the crime of human trafficking, Sara Gadd witnessed the impact of trafficking quite often as she volunteered with people who were unhoused in her hometown in Southern California. Years later, prompted by memories of such abuse, Sara would work for the Tulsa Sheriff’s office where she assisted people who had experienced human trafficking.

In 2018, Sara continued her calling at Ascension St. John, part of Ascension Oklahoma, when she began managing the hospital’s new Human Trafficking Education and Response Program, which was developed and modeled after a similar program at Ascension Kansas. In just five years, the program has offered immediate assistance and connections to wraparound services for nearly 300 individuals suspected of being victims of human trafficking.

“This vulnerable population is often overlooked, misunderstood or considered willing participants in the horrific things that they experience. As I realized how few resources and knowledge our community had, I became determined to make a difference,” said Sara. “From teaching first responders about human trafficking, to advocating at a state level for legislative change, to chairing our local human trafficking coalition, my goal has been to bring light to this under-reported and often hidden crime and to offer resources to those who have experienced human trafficking.”

“Of the almost 300 people we have served, it includes people we suspected were victims - people that either wanted help immediately or who weren’t quite ready for one reason or another.

We've been able to connect them to safe, local housing, get them to different states, send some back home to family and provide dental and prenatal services, food, clothing and toiletries.”

Initially, Ascension St. John provided the majority of human trafficking resources on-site. However, the various needs of victims encouraged them to expand their program efforts outside of the facility to address everything from mental health to safe housing. The Ascension St. John Human Trafficking Education and Response Program is now a federally grant-funded hub for first-responder training as well as resources and referrals to community services to help victims of human trafficking to thrive and recover from their experiences.

‘GO DEEPER’ TEAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: After reading this feature, what did you learn or what myths did you bust about human trafficking?

How does equitable, inclusive healthcare help to protect victims of human trafficking?

“Human trafficking victims who engage in drug use and/or prostitution may be written off as people who have simply made poor choices instead of people who have limited or restricted choices to ensure their safety and survival.“

What is human trafficking?

While human trafficking is not new, social awareness of its prevalence has increased in more recent years.

Programs like Ascension St. John’s encourage people, especially first responders, to recognize some of the warning signs for human traffickers and their victims. The program also helps to dispel myths and generalizations about the definition of human trafficking. Many assume human trafficking must involve the displacement, smuggling or kidnapping of individuals. However, the U.S. Department of Justice describes human trafficking as a crime involving the recruitment, harboring and/or coercive exploitation of a person for commercial sex, labor or services.

“A lot of trafficking is familial trafficking. Victims are trafficked as kids by their family members and it can continue into their adulthood. There [are many victims who are exposed] to a lot of movement, street trafficking [and/or through the internet]. It really just depends,” said Sara.

Serving people who are most vulnerable Many variables contribute to the vulnerability and targeting of victims of human trafficking. Two of the most common are financial constraints or familial difficulties that result in the need for shelter. Sara discussed the prevalence of victims who seek temporary lodging before being coerced into other forms of labor or sex in order to maintain shelter. In many cases involving youth, parents may illegally lease out the services of their children.

“If Mom and Dad can't make the rent that month, a landlord may say they can stay for free as long as they give them their child for a couple of hours for a sexual act. They're not getting money, but they're getting a free place to stay in exchange for their child,” said Sara. Vulnerable youth are also highly susceptible to being trafficked into labor or sexual acts through internet meetings, trickery and blackmail.

Although the typical representation of human trafficking victims are children and women who were kidnapped and taken from state to state, it is important to recognize victims who are trafficked locally. “[The word trafficking] makes you think of movement, but you don't have to go from one place to another. Some [human trafficking victims we’ve helped] have never even been outside the city limits of Tulsa. They were born and raised here. You don't have to be taken. Traffickers can bring people to [the victims],” said Sara.

Victims could be any age or gender Another hindrance to progress and the escape of human trafficking victims comes in the form of myths and misconceptions involving age and gender. Seniors and men are less frequently suspected as victims, but they are just as susceptible to trafficking. “It doesn't matter if you're 5 years old or in your 60s. Anyone could be a victim of trafficking, “ said Sara. Men who are trafficked also face significant challenges, including feelings of shame and fear of not being believed. “A lot of men [are trafficked]. It's a lot harder for them to come forward because of the stigmas associated with human trafficking victims. So men don't talk to us as easily,” said Sara.

How to support Limited knowledge and/or access to safe resources, distrust of authorities and law enforcement and fear of retaliation from traffickers/abusers are all challenges to bringing human trafficking victims to safety. The most crippling impediments to progress, however, are assumptions made about the victims.

“If you were trafficked as a child and ended up addicted to substances because your trafficker addicted you, you don’t magically turn 18, earn a high school diploma and get a job, especially not without significant mental health challenges. We seem to think the person is choosing to be a prostitute or to live on the streets. We found that's not true,” said Sara. “Once we [explore] victims’ vulnerabilities and how they arrived at this place, we realize that many of them were victimized long before they were old enough to make a choice.”

Sara and her team believe that building trust with potential victims is the best way to offer support and bring them to safety. To do so, the Ascension St. John Human Trafficking Education and Response Program works with local law enforcement to target traffickers who coerce victims into crimes such as prostitution as opposed to targeting the coerced victims themselves. The concerted effort to serve and protect victims first increases the likelihood of them coming forward. “[Victims have] been taught to be afraid of law enforcement. They’ve been taught that the law is not really on their side. So, we spend a lot of time with our local law enforcement and make efforts to arrest the bad guy(s) and not them. Now that we've made that shift, more victims are talking to our law enforcement,” said Sara.

Ascension St. John Clinical Research Institute receives inaugural Global Site Excellence in Diversity Award

The Ascension St. John Clinical Research Institute in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was honored as the inaugural recipient of the Society for Clinical Research Sites’ Global Site Excellence in Diversity Award. The award recognizes and celebrates the outstanding efforts of clinical research sites worldwide in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in clinical trials.

In 2019, the Ascension St. John research department implemented a community outreach plan called the BRIDGE (Bringing Diversity Together) framework with the hopes of reshaping not only the department, but also the community’s future. The framework focuses on increasing the diversity of those enrolled in clinical trials and reaching out to the communities where these individuals live. The BRIDGE framework taps into the diverse needs of various demographics of the Tulsa community to help Ascension St. John's research team cultivate trust and overcome obstacles to trial participation.

“We are thrilled to receive the inaugural Global Site Excellence in Diversity Award,” said Stacie Merritt, Director, Ascension St. John Clinical Research Institute. “Our team has worked hard to make a difference in our community. We are dedicated to placing our patients first and committed to ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion in all of our clinical trials.”

“Inadequate enrollment of underrepresented minority individuals has been a particularly persistent and frustrating disparity in American medicine,” said Frederick Masoudi, MD, MSPH, Chief Science Officer and Vice President, Clinical Research and Analytics, Ascension. “Ascension St. John Clinical Research Institute’s BRIDGE framework reflects Ascension’s Mission and the goals of the enterprise-wide clinical research program. We congratulate and applaud our colleagues in Oklahoma for their efforts to advance equity in clinical trials.”

‘GO DEEPER’ TEAM DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: This feature may be used as a tool or topic for discussions with your team. Here are a few discussion questions/prompts for you and your team to explore: 1. Why is diversity so important to clinical trials 2. Why are there so many barriers to gathering diverse clinical trial patients?

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