AHN Committed to Workforce Including Those with Disabilities

Welcome to Disability Matters with your host Joyce Bender. All comments, views, and opinions expressed on the show are solely those of the host, guest, and callers. Now the host of Disability Matters, here's Joyce Bender.

Hey everyone, welcome to the show today. To everyone in the United States and around the world, I have to say I am so impressed and appreciative that listeners in China are really taking off, and Australia. We have listeners in about 17 countries, and they change. But I always say, even if there's one person listening in Iceland, that one person can make a difference. And so I want to urge all of you to keep telling people about this radio show, keep telling people about quality of life. Because if you have a disability, you still are a person that should be respected and treated with dignity. So thank you so much. And now my special shout-out goes to my State Department friends also around the world. You know, Japan, which I've been to Japan through the State Department to talk about the employment of people with disabilities, and I, I first met When I went to South Korea, I first met this wonderful man, Richard Roberts, who was with the State Department and still is with the State Department. And if you go back and listen to the radio, my shows, just a few months ago, we had a show live from Japan. And that Richard Roberts is working with me that we're gonna have another one from Japan in June. So Richard, I just love you. Think so highly of you. Gang Young in South Korea, you're next to be on this radio show. You're the first person I worked with in Asia and you are so awesome. Cheryl Harris in Tunisia. May I tell you, they were on the radio show like a month ago. You've gotta go back, either go to Apple or Spotify, subscribe to my radio show, Disability Matters with Joyce Bender. On VoiceAmerica.com. Go to VoiceAmerica.com. Go to my website. But you've got to hear those shows. So powerful hearing what they have to say about living with disabilities in these countries. And special shout out to Venyamin in Kazakhstan. And they will be on also in the future. Love all of you. And of course, I love all of my listeners. In the United States, hey, keep on subscribing to this radio show. Remember, we all have value. We all count. Disability rights are civil rights. Always remember that. Now, Yoshiko Dart, you all know that Yoshiko is the wife of the late Justin Dart Jr., a hero forever in the disability rights community. And I always mention her because I never want you to forget our own disability history. So lead on, Yoshiko. Special shout out to you. And guess who has been my lead sponsor I have to thank for the past— what is it now— 5 years? And that would be Highmark. How apropos with our guest today. But I always say, best company in America for people with disabilities to gain employment is Highmark, hands down. And that is why it's such an honor for me, a real honor, to have Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, who is the Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer for Allegheny Health Network, a speaker, an author, and a great new leader. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew, welcome to the show.

Thank you so much, Joyce. I'm so excited to be on today and just to be with you. You have become my best friend these last few months since I've been back in Pittsburgh.

Yes, you know what? It is amazing that you meet some people— and you immediately have this affinity of spirits. And that is how it was when I met Dr. Margaret Larkin's Pettigrew. That is how it was. She is just a wonderful person. I felt the same way, and that's why it's so great to have you on the show. Hey, before I go on further, because I want to make sure we talk about this, I mentioned you're an author. What, what is the name of your book?

So the book is called The Colors of My Heart: Embracing Blackness with History, Family, Fear, and Faith. And that was published in November of last year.

Okay, and that would be under Dr. Margaret Larkins Pettigrew, P-E-T-T-I-G-R-E-W. One more time, the name of that book one more time.

It's called The Colors of My Heart: Embracing My Blackness with History, Family, Fear, and Faith. It is my memoir. It is the lived experience of an African American woman born and raised through the '50s, '60s, '70s, and on, and the challenges that African Americans have faced and overcome and how that we are— we really We need to think about self-affirmation and who we are and what we contribute to the country. So, it is my memoir, and I hope that people pick it up and they enjoy it.

Now, can they get that at Amazon? Is that where they go?

Yes. Okay. They can get that on Amazon online.

Well, you know what? I have to say, wow. '50s and '60s. Oh, my goodness. I'm sure that's riveting because what a time to grow up. Not that we still don't have issues. It's just they were very— well, guess what? I was going to say violent, but what has changed, right? We just had George Floyd. That was violent. But I'm meaning, you know, through Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Wow, what a time. And I want you to know that Dr. Larkins Pettigrew is a medical doctor also, as when I talked about chief clinical diversity, you need to know that. So I thought for our friends in the US and around the world, would you mind sharing with everyone your background growing up? I guess this would be a little bit from your memoir and what made you decide to go in the medical field?

Oh, that's great. I love to tell my story. Somebody asked me, they interviewed me one time, and he said, "Well, tell us about you." And I said, "Where should I start?" And he said, "Oh, start anywhere." I said, "Well, I think I should start at the beginning." And I can start briefly and just tell you a little bit about the fact that I was born right outside of Uniontown, Pennsylvania, to two wonderful parents, very— living in poverty. My father was a coal miner, and I have three other siblings. And I can tell you that We never thought we had nothing. We thought we had everything. Wonderful, loving parents who really tried to make a difference as it relates to being in this country, being in the place where they knew that they were disenfranchised, but we never knew that at all. My mother worked at home. She only had an 8th grade education, but she read all the time and taught us so much about the world. My father worked in the coal mines and then moved to the steel mill. Steel mill, he was a steel worker, and we moved into the projects. And you think about the projects today, and I was so excited that we were moving into the projects and that we did not have to use an outhouse anymore. So you can just think about where I came from as far as those means, and a lot of people still live in those circumstances today and are challenged with not only just how to just live every single day and be productive, you know, but really to take care of their families. So, and especially those people with disabilities and people who have or in that space what I call the other. And so, I went through life thinking about how I can take care of others. My father and mother were all about, you know, giving back and being servant leaders. And that's how I set out my career to be in a space where I could give back. I worked as a candy striper in McKeesport Hospital, and that was it. That turned my, you know, I said, okay, this is where I need to be. I need to take care of people who are ill, take care of people who want to be healthy. And that's where my medical career started as a nursing assistant, assistant, well, excuse me, as a candy striper, they called them then, in McKeesport Hospital. Fast forward, I went to nursing school, got graduate degrees in nursing, and really realized how valuable nurses are and how they are the people who are the leaders, the real rock of all of the healthcare systems. They're there 24/7. They really deserve to be recognized much more than they are now, and both for who they are and both financially. But also, I'm still a nurse. I still think the way nurses think of being empathetic, sympathetic, caring, and really wanting to make a difference in any way in the lives of our patients. And then I fast-forward and said, okay, I need to be more. I need to be an advocate. And through this whole experience, it was all about diversity inclusion. I thought about not being included as a Black woman. I was living the life of being disenfranchised and having microaggressions and macroaggressions. And so I am a living example of diversity. My father passed at the age of 51 after having a massive heart attack. His second heart attack after having one, he was given baby aspirin to go home. He never had any— didn't have a cardiac cath. He didn't have anything. And at that time, he was a Black man, and he passed very, very young. And multiple family members, I watched the healthcare system really not take care of them well. From multiple— because they were Black, because they were people living with disabilities, it was just so many things that that I've seen through this, through my lifetime. But at the end of the day, I knew that diversity inclusion was where I had to end up. I really needed to be a great physician because that opened doors for me, allowed me to be an advocate for diversity inclusion as well as equity and health equity. And I decided to go back to school. That meant that because I had 3 children and I was married to a wonderful man, his name is Chenneth Pettigrew. Who was a vice president at Tuskegee University, that I really had to figure a way to pay for my schooling. So I decided that I would go and enlist in the military, which I did. So I did my time in the military and had a great opportunity. I was, of course, I was a leader, and it taught me a lot about strategic planning and also taught me a lot about culture. A lot about diversity and a lot about our world and how we manage to be one of the powerhouses, one that used to be the most power— powerful country in the world. But from that point of view, understanding that I could use those skills, those strategic skills, to really develop programs around diversity, equity, and inclusion. And so here I am today after finishing my medical career and working over 20 years in OB-GYN and continuing to work as a physician taking care of women who are high risk. Take care of all women, but I take care of women who live with HIV. And that should tell everyone on your, on your station a lot about really making sure that people have wraparound care, that you meet people where they are, that people have lived with not only their their challenges, medical care challenges, but also the stigma of just being who they are and being infected with something like HIV. So, this is a place I'm very comfortable with as far as women and taking care of women and making sure that they have healthy babies and taking— making sure our program is to deal with everything from LGBT and everything from vets. So, I'm so excited to be here and tell you a little bit about who I am. That's a lot about who I am. Thank you, Joyce, for letting me take up some of your time and share that little bit about who I am.

Oh my God, that is such a great story. I'm over here, I'm thinking, from the outhouse to the boardroom. I mean, you really have done so much. I mean, I can see now, like, I feel like I have to run to the store and get this book because just hearing that snippet is just unbelievable. You are a person of great tenacity, determination, resilience. I mean, to accomplish all of those things, which to many people, against all odds, and I'm very sorry to hear about your father, because I know that, you know, it's hard enough to be a coal miner because My mother's family were coal miners, but the healthcare disparity for someone who is Black was greatly evidenced by you saying he went, they told him to take aspirins. I mean, that is just terrible, terrible. And hopefully we can continue to work on that today. So you decided to go from medicine to diversity and inclusion. Now, that's quite a move. What made you do that, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew?

Well, you know, I saw so many challenges around people who just were not treated with dignity and respect, and I had to really look and see why that was happening. And people were coming from different lived experiences, and someone who had— people who were just not educated and felt like their world was the world. And so when you think about healthcare and trying to meet people where they are and taking the pledge to be nonjudgmental and accepting, I felt that we needed to have a large infusion of diversity, inclusion, and equity in the hospital systems, specifically inclusion. Inclusion as well as equity with intentional, with the intention of making change. And so I have moved to make sure that people intentionally, you know, make sure that they dedicate dollars and workforce and all that they have in this space. Because this is what, at the end of the day, makes a difference in everybody's lives. People grow who are in this space and open their hearts, and I think organizations grow. And so I decided to move into diversity inclusion exclusively some 6 years ago, I believe, 6 or 7 years ago, but I was working in it all my life. I really decided that I wanted to be a leader because of what I've been seeing and how patients and even the communities have been taken care of.

Well, thank God you did that because we're really lucky to have you. For those of you listening, you know, the best city in America is of course Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, which is where I am and where Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew is, and we are lucky to have you right here in Pittsburgh. Although I know with your position it covers many areas, you know, people again in the United States and certainly throughout the world are not familiar with AHN. Would you mind just taking a few minutes to talk about where you work and the size and the breadth? You know, what, what is AHN?

Oh my God, I'd love to. I want to talk about Allegheny Health Network, AHN. First of all, I just moved back home from Cleveland, Ohio, and I've been given the opportunity to be the Chief Diversity Officer at Allegheny Health Network, which is one of the entities of Highmark. Of course, you know, Highmark has multiple— it's a large enterprise, and it is responsible and has dedicated themselves to take care of a lot of folks as far as insurance and those who are uninsured by giving them opportunities as far as community benefits. But one great thing that they did was they own and they're affiliated with Allegheny Health Network, meaning that Allegheny Health Network is the hospital system that is located here in Pittsburgh and all the way up through Erie into New York and into middle Pennsylvania. It is huge. Has 22,000 employees, if you can imagine that. I know we're almost 1,700 physicians and other associated physicians and folks that are all about wellness. And so Allegheny Health Network asked me to come on to really help them move the needle as they had been in the area of diversity inclusion. This is a great step. They— on the Allegheny Health Network side, they haven't had a diversity inclusion officer who is clinically oriented. And so I am the first, which means that I bring 3 hats to them. One, the corporate side, understanding HIMARC, and then the clinical side, understanding what happens at the bedside, what can— things that cannot happen at the bedside, and making sure that I'm in that space of equity of healthcare. And I also bring the academic hat. So, as an academic contributor, I'm a professor from Drexel. I hold a position from Drexel University, as well as Case Western. I just left there. And so, all of those 3 entities at Allegheny Health Network will help them build not only the diversity inclusion space, but in all of those spaces. Where we will look at how we are doing through a social justice lens. And I'm just so proud to be part of Allegheny Health Network. They've been in the movers and shakers for a long time, and they're continuing to do that, but really by taking care of people and meeting people where they are.

Yes, Sherrell Barber, the daughter of Reverend Dr. William Barber, has been a guest of mine more than one time. And she's a Harvard graduate social epidemiologist. And she, they, you probably know Drexel is getting, got a huge grant on racial equity and other issues related to race. And she is a professor there also.

Cheryl. Oh, that's wonderful.

Wonderful. I will make sure you two are connected.

I know I need to make some contact. Yes, thank you.

Yes, you two have a lot in common, and she is a fireball, let me tell you that. Dr. Barber, I always tell her, Dr. Barber, you're my doctor. She is a teacher, but she is absolutely wonderful. We are going to— well, by the way, AHN, you have Cindy Hunterfee. Who has been as the CEO a big supporter of mine and hiring people with disabilities. So I can see why, you know, such a great culture is at AHN. So I want to talk about—

I just wanted to add to Cindy, Cindy Hunter-Finch, you know, she's my boss. And she is why I'm at AHN. She has— she's a genius as far as how she really has brought AHN so far ahead in making sure it is a place where people want to come and work. But she has the heart of the person that you really want to work for, the person who wants to make sure that she does the best for everybody. And as a as a president, a CEO, excuse me, a CEO of that institution. She is wonderful and loved by many. So I'm happy to be with her.

Yeah, I'm one of them. I do love her. She's awesome. And you know, when you said you came there because of Cindy, okay, just a little story. So many different people say to me, you mean Veronica moved to Pittsburgh? I mean, because she's from D.C. And Veronica Villalobos is extremely well known in the D.C. area, not just in the disability community, but in diversity and inclusion, and is known by many people in Congress. She's been with me when Secretary Perez was the Secretary of Labor. Labor, but she's just well known. And guess what? Here we have a Latina with a disability, and guess who she works for? Dr. Larkin's Pedigree. And why I'm bringing that up is she's there because of you. So just as you said, you went there because of Cindy.

Oh my goodness.

She has told me. So if you're wondering, gee, how'd they get her? That's how they got her. She loves Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew and tells me about her frequently. So, and that, by the way, shows your commitment to disability also. I need to point that out. Okay. This is a very scary topic, COVID. As a matter of fact, sadly, I just lost someone that I really loved, did not get the vaccination. She was a young 73 and she went into the hospital and was gone in 2 weeks because, as you know, COVID can just ravage the body. But I am so happy to say that I get compliment after compliment about AHN and, you know, the vaccinations they've been giving. But How is that going? How is the vaccine distribution moving?

So, I'm so very proud of what we have done at HHS around combating COVID, from the testing, which I didn't know about until I got here, that was extensive and comprehensive, to moving right into the vaccine distribution. And at this time, we are over 350,000 shots in arms, and we are continuing to move in that direction. We've had so many large events to try to cover so many people. We are still doing that and really contributing a lot of our time and effort to make sure that we are covering underrepresented minorities as well. We— I'm so proud of Allegheny Health Network. They are— they put together a model that worked. They're being recognized for that by the state and many other cities because of what we've done around COVID. I can tell those of you who are out there listening who have not had an injection that no one has died from the vaccine. So many people, 550,000+ have died from the virus. So, if you have not gotten the vaccine, please get the vaccine. We all have to do our part. It is so important that we all do our part. That's a little part to do, is to get your vaccine so we all can get back to some normality.

Oh, that's so true. You know, that thing you said is so powerful. People aren't dying from the vaccine. But almost 600,000 from COVID And sadly, there are people that think this is either A, dangerous, B, they don't need it, or C, a hoax. And it is none of the above. You do need it. It is safe and it is real. And you don't want to find out, as I just told you, happened to a very close friend of our family in such a tragic way. And I know also at AHN, you reached out to the African American community by going into the churches. I mean, by making phone calls to people that didn't have, you know, internet or smartphone or whatever. And, you know, there's this myth that people who are Black do not want to be vaccinated, but that's not true, is it? Didn't you vaccinate a lot of people?

Oh, absolutely. We— Veronica and I both worked for the African American, Latino, and people with disabilities communities to make sure that they were included. Allegheny Health Network dedicated every time they got a shipment of vaccine, they dedicated 10% of their— 15%, I'm sorry, 15% of that shipment to the underrepresented minority communities. And so together, and you know how wonderful Veronica is, and I'm so glad that she's with me, we got to work. We've made several, several phone calls, gotten many people appointments. We've been in at the sites. We've gone to the churches and the community centers to actually be there on site to see what was going on, talking to some of the folks who got their vaccines. And I can tell you, the older folks who came in, and many of the older Black folks and Latino folks who came in, were so excited to be there. I talked to a Latino young man who was 90 years old who had not been out of the house since March of last year. 90, and he was there on that day to get his first injection of Pfizer. And we talked about what this meant to him. And he talked about how he's lived through pandemics before. He's lived through times where, you know, young people don't understand that, you know, this is what you do. This is a pandemic comes and this is what you do as a country. And he was so proud to be there. I was so proud that he was there. He had also served in the military. But every person of color, African American, who came in told me the same thing. They were not afraid of getting the vaccine. They were very fearful of getting the virus because, you know, they saw many family members, you know, who actually was sick, who was sick and died with the polio and other things that happened in their lifetimes. And so, African Americans and Latinos, they want to get the vaccine. The folks that we're concerned about now are the younger generation. We are seeing in their hospital systems, we are seeing 20 to 20, 40, 50-year-olds who are very, very ill on ventilators and who are dying. And so that's the message we need to be sending. Everybody needs to get one, but now we're seeing more of our younger population being admitted and not making it out of the hospital.

Oh, that's so sad. Terrible. Oh, well, thank God we have, you know, AHN and Highmark and everything you're doing. So here we go right now on the half hour is our weekly newsbreak, Advocacy Matters, with our newscaster, Perry Jude Radesik, CEO CEO of Disability Rights PA. And Perry, how are you today?

Joyce, I'm fine, and I've been listening to the program and really been following along, and we'll do more on vaccines later on Advocacy Matters.

Oh, good.

Okay. Well, you, I know, know very well that Black people with disability disabilities, because let's remember intersectionality, people with disabilities of all colors, you know, races, gender, whatever it is, also experienced healthcare disparity through this whole thing. And I know you know that very well. So let's hear your news report for today, Perry.

Sure, Joyce Bender, thank you. Well, Congress is extremely busy right now. That's great news for the disability community. They are in a very active work period. The Senate is in session until May 3rd. The U.S. House of Representatives will stay in session until Memorial Day, and they're holding hearings and votes on the implementation of the American Rescue Plan, the President Biden's new infrastructure plan, COVID-19, hate crimes, voting rights, appropriations to fund federal agencies next year. So much going on for people with disabilities. So let's take a look at 3 issues. Hate crimes, first. The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed Senate Bill 937. We have a link to the text of that Senate bill on our website at disabilityrightsPA.org. Senate Bill 937 is called the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. And there's really multiple things in here. One, it facilitates an expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes. It provides guidance for law enforcement agencies to establish online reporting of hate crimes or incidents that then would become equally effective in terms of communication for people with disabilities and for persons in multiple languages. So here's the government saying to state and local agencies, we want you to have online reporting of hate crimes, and it has to be accessible to people with disabilities and persons in multiple languages. It also does a lot of other things. Go to our segment today at disabilityrightsPA.org and check out the hate crimes action that's going on the Senate and over in the House Judiciary Committee, they're considering the same legislation. On voting, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing last week on Jim Crow 2021: The Latest Assault on the Right to Vote, and among the panelists was the Honorable Stacey Abrams from Atlanta. And as we've discussed in previous Advocacy Matters segments, Legislation has been introduced in most states across the country to change voting laws, and this hearing took a look at those threats to voting from state legislation. Then the final issue we want to bring to everyone's attention is accessibility to national parks and lands. Just this morning, the House Committee on Natural Resources, held an oversight and investigation hearing to look at the accessibility of national parks and lands for people with disabilities. We have a link to that hearing if you go to disabilityrightspa.org. So Joyce, so much is going on. Congress is working hard to address a lot of issues facing people of color and people with disabilities. We urge your listeners at Advocacy Matters to follow all of this and to do so by going to disabilityrightspa.org.

Oh, thank you so much. And listen, I really encourage you, as Perry just said, so important to know what's going on, so important to not get caught up when it's too far gone. So make sure disabilityrightspa.org. Go to Advocacy Matters and all of this information will be there. And Perry, thank you so much. I look forward to talking to you next week.

Thank you, Joyce. Take care.

There's a lot going on, a lot going on in Congress right now.

Yes, I'm so excited to hear all of the things that she reported. Um, so, and I'm so interested in this advocacy piece, uh, as it relates to and making sure that there's equity for everybody. So, I'm very excited about our new leaders and what they're trying to do, and it was a great report. So, I thank her for that.

Oh, thank you. Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew, I know that you're going to be doing a lot working on equity, diversity, equity, and inclusion, but even for people throughout the country, business people listening and people in general listening. How far do you think we have come when it comes to the anti-racist culture? You know, I read that book. I was very impacted by that book. How far, how far do you think we've come?

I think that we are starting to awaken somewhat, but I think we have an absolutely long way to go. And I think that it is going to make— the difference it is going to make for us is that, because we have had multiple tipping points in our country, multiple opportunities to say, "Hey, something is wrong, very wrong," and it starts with It starts with racism because that is the undercurrent of all the other things that happen. So when you— and racism is the other. And so we can talk about the other then incorporates everything from people with disabilities, veterans who come home who are disabled. I mean, it covers so many— the LGBT population. So the other really is kind of lumped into what we consider to be those who have been disenfranchised. However, we know that racism was specifically designed in this country to make sure that we had the haves and the have-nots. We— and many people do not want to believe that. That is the problem. We do not want to understand how we got here. And until we understand how we got here, then we are never going to be able to move beyond this. And understanding how we got here means that we all have to investigate in, in what has happened in the past. We have to intentionally read, intentionally understand that this did not happen by happenstance. This happened, it was planned this way. And understanding that, here we are, a racist country. We are. We have racist behaviors. And we do have racist folks who live and work amongst us all the time. And people who have racist behaviors who are not racist, but we all have those blind spots as we were raised in this country. And so, the racist culture is the— runs through our country like the fabric of who it is. And until we embrace that, until we understand that, we will never be able to move into a position where then we can understand diversity. We take these things apart. We talk about diversity, inclusion, equity, social justice. All of those things come back to the issue of race in this country. So when we talk about race and we move and we understand and acknowledge and embrace how we got here by understanding our history, that is the first step. That is the first big step. Then we can then talk about what does it mean to be diverse. And so diverse also means that not do we have everyone at the table, but white folks must be at the table. And this is the fear that I see that, you know, when we talk about moving forward and giving everyone equity, then people who have had privilege think that they will lose their wealth. They think they are going to lose something. And why cannot it be that we all gain in this situation? And we cannot move into that situation unless we understand how we got here. We embrace everyone as part of this diverse, very innovative, and exciting, and very productive country. And that we are all included. And that means that we look at how We have not been fair, and there has not been an equity in not only just health care, but equity in business. And you can, I mean, look at our social determinants of health and how folks got to be in places where we have social determinants of health. We have social determinants of health because we've had political determinants of health that has brought us to that place. So, we have political determinants of of every space that we work in. Why do people have lack of transportation, food insecurity, all those things that should be in this country, this rich country, something that we should be, you know, be enjoying. So we can't even get to a space of diversity until we do those things before that and then move to equity. And then we talk about social justice. We have to look at our social justice system system again and again and again. And everything I talk about as it relates to being in a racist culture has stemmed from who we are. We are a racist country. We have to face the fact that we're a racist country because of the— because of what has been instilled in the country, the leaders. Et cetera, et cetera. So we can't move from that until we embrace all of those things I said. I mean, we can't talk about things like, you know, how do we police better if we can't understand how we got there in the first place? And so, you know, how do we give people healthier lives if they're not living healthy lives? And how do we get there in the first place? And why do we blame the folks that are the victims many times. So America has a long way to go, and we can't— we're not going to sugarcoat it. And we— I'm in that space where I will never sugarcoat it, but I really want to see us strategically face the fact that we are here, how we got here. And until we do that, we cannot move on in a very strategic way to bring equity and social justice for everyone. Long answer to your question.

No, no, I think that's, you know, I think that's so true because I too am worried. I'm worried, okay, right now, and our group with Sherelle and other people interested in civil rights of people with disabilities and people who are Black and people of color is, right now, there's this huge movement across America, you know, to hire people and bring in people who are Black and people of color. Huge movement. Well, the question is, once people get hired, then what happens? And where do they get hired? You know, what is the strategic plan? What's going to happen? Are they all going to be, you know, at certain levels where you check a box? Or, you know, why can't people in positions such as yours also move up? COO, CEO, whatever it is, you know, why does someone have to be put in one position forever. Of course, I hope I'm wrong. I hope that, that this keeps moving. But what— that thing you said about people feeling they're going to lose their privilege, I too am worried about that. And let's face it, if you're white, you do have privilege. So I hope you're wrong about that. I look to someone like you because you and AHN, Highmark, you're such great people that you will be the beacon of hope and light for other companies to look at. That's my opinion.

And I'm so excited, Joyce Bender, that, you know, we're talking about this because, you know, being at Allegheny Health Network, they have made an intentional commitment to not only increase the workforce and bring in more people of color, especially African Americans, but also people with disabilities. They've also, but the thing is that you can't have a check mark. It's not about the numbers that we bring in. It is about the culture that we change that says that you are going to be accepted here because we are an inclusive organization, that you will be given dignity, respect, and we are going to recognize your talent because of who you are, not because of your disability, not because of your color. We are going to recognize who you are and your expertise and your brilliance and, and actually give you an opportunity to grow within our institution. That is the promise that they've made to me, um, as they said, come and work with us at Allegheny Health Network. And so it can never be about checkboxes. It can never be about just the number. It absolutely has to be about looking within the system to make sure that racism is not rearing its ugly head, that we are treating all people with dignity, respect. And that is what they're giving me the opportunity to do, to look at within and say, who are we? Who's our— what is our brand? And we want to be better and we're going to be better. If we're better, if we are better as healthcare providers, then we are going to make everyone we take care of better. They're going to make them much better. And so that is the hope that I see. That's the promise that they've made. And hopefully I'm going to help them do that. So, and, you know, like I said before, Joyce Bender, you can't do this without— and I say you can't do this without white folks at the table. We can't do this without everybody at the table. Everybody has to be at the table. People with disabilities, people of color, you know, people who are— I mean, our LGBT population. Everybody has got to be on this train, or this will never happen. And we cannot be afraid to speak out. We cannot be afraid to embrace where we are now. We are in the most critical part of— one of the most critical parts of our existence today. So, I believe we're going to move forward.

You know what? You are just so awesome. Well, I know they will with you. I know they will. I just want to tell everyone, she means it, what she's saying about everyone at the table, because when I met her, I mean, when I talked to her for the first time, she said to me, well, you know what, Joyce, we don't want to just hire people who are Black or people of color. We want to hire people with disabilities. Everyone should be hired. And that's the difference with Highmark and AHN. But if you are living with a disability, know this: she already spoke up for you. Which I, as a woman living with epilepsy and disability-owned business enterprise owner of Bender Consulting, I can honestly say This company, top to bottom, is the real deal. So I know everyone watch her and buy that book because you're gonna see, you're gonna see her speaking. She already speaks naturally, nationally, but even more. So I wanted to ask you, uh, wow, I mean, you, you are so inspiring, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew, which tells me you had or have a role model that impacted you. So who would that be?

I'm going to, you know, I usually talk about my family all the time, and because I have so many role models around me, but, you know, it always comes back to the family member who really believed in you and who showed you what it meant to take care of others. And I have to talk about my father. Who is, his name is Wilbur Lee Larkins, and he, of course, passed at the age of 52. But I think of him often because he worked in the coal mines. And think about leaving your family every single day, living in poverty, and going into those coal mines, going into the dark every single day, not knowing whether you are going to come back up. But you did it. You did it because you cared about You cared about the people who lived in your community. And I watched this man do that, and in addition, bring people home with him who could not— did not have a place to sleep or did not have a meal. I mean, we shared our table with so many people we did not even know. And he was all about making sure that we thought we moved beyond ourselves, in order to take care of others. And my, I say this all the time, and it was written by Malcolm X, and it's like, when I becomes a we, then illness becomes wellness. And that works in the healthcare system, but it works everywhere. Because when we get rid of the I, I, I, and we really start concentrating on the we, then my father's dream of making sure that his great-grandchildren will be— have the opportunity to live in a place where their color, where disabilities, where they come from will be welcomed as their learned experience and their self-affirmation that they are great no matter who they are. And that is what he taught me. He is my role model of the day. And I'd like to honor him by giving him this moment with you, Joyce.

Thank you. Oh, that is so special. That's so wonderful. And just— I know listening above how much that means to him. But I know— just think how proud he would be knowing from where you were to where you are now. A doctor.

Thank you.

Thank you. Think how proud he would be. And I'm sure the rest of your family is because— and you know what? I didn't thank you for serving our country. I wanted to mention that also, that you've done so much that in that time period I talked to you, I didn't know you were a veteran. I mean, wow, I don't know how you've done all this. You have done so much in your life already. What, what branch were you in, in the service?

I was in the Navy. I was in the Navy. I enjoyed that experience immensely. It's, I think that our servicemen need to be recognized every single minute of the day, that they do so much for us. At home and abroad. And we cannot forget about our veterans. And they are, they are rock that has kept us safe and continue to keep us safe around the world. So, I was very proud to be a vet. And Joyce, you say, you know, I have done so much in my short period of time, but I am still young, beautiful, and attractive.

And you are. And you still have a long way to go. Well, you are going to be, you are going to be the rock star doing what you talked about, right? Where you said it won't just be a number, but it will be a part, you know, you still, you really, when you think about it, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew, you are in the moment in history right now. You are in the moment, but it's going to be people like you that has to be a role model for everyone else. So, you still have a long way to go. You, you, but you can do a lot of things right now as you move forward in your life to really impact, I believe, of course, people with disabilities, people of color, African Americans, LGBTQ, but in addition, overall, Corporate America, because of this example that you're going to give. And I am going to make sure this show is replayed. I want to tell everyone, remember, go to Apple or Spotify. You can hear this show. If you're listening right now and you're thinking, oh, I wish I could share this with someone, you can. Go to Apple or Spotify or voiceamerica.com or benderconsult.com, and you can get this podcast. And I hope if you do, you will share it, because that's what we're going to do, because we are all in this together, as you said with the Malcolm X quote that you gave, which I think is so powerful. So before we end the show, I want to say this first. Thank you so much. I know how busy you are, but that you took time to be with us.

Joyce Bender, it has been an absolute pleasure. I feel like we were sitting next to one another having a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and chatting about, you know, what my vision and aspirations are for all of us. So it's been an absolute pleasure to be with you today.

Well, the feeling is mutual. And when all of this is over and we can go indoors and have a nice dinner, we will have the coffee and the wine. How about that? We'll have—

Thank you. I'm going to look forward to it.

So, Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew, what message do you have for our listeners today?

So, my message is to please take care of yourselves so that you can take care of others. Everything you think about as far as your life is— should be about being your best so you can make others and help others be their best.

So what a great message.

Thank you again for having me.

Oh, my pleasure. So we end every show with a quote, and today it is: Oh, there's a power when those who've known rejection come together, said Reverend Dr. William Barber. This is Joyce Bender, America's Voice, where disability matters, at VoiceAmerica.com. Talk to you next week with Tony Murphy. See you then.

Voice America would like to thank you for tuning in. Please join us next Tuesday at 11 AM Pacific time and 2 PM Eastern time for another installment of Disability Matters, right here on the Voice America Variety Channel. We are the leader in live internet talk radio. VoiceAmerica.com.