Two West Tennessee Healthcare employees have been chosen to participate in the national Disparities Leadership Program (DLP). Dr. Rose Bailey, operations support specialist, Administration and Katie Chandler, director, Guest Resources were chosen to participate in this year-long executive leadership program which tackles racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Bailey and Chandler are two of only 25 individuals from 15 health care organizations from around the United States selected for the 2017-2018 Disparities Leadership Program. They will join 156 other organizations that have participated in the Disparities Leadership Program from 2007-2017.



Rose Bailey



Katie Chandler


The Disparities Leadership Program is groundbreaking, being the first of its kind in the nation. It is designed for leaders from hospitals, health insurance plans, and other health care organizations who are seeking to develop practical strategies to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care. This program is led by the Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.


Through this leadership program, the Disparities Solutions Center strives to prepare leaders to meet the challenges of health care transformation by improving quality for at-risk populations experiencing disparities.


The program’s three main goals are:

• To arm health care leaders with a rich understanding of the causes of disparities and the vision to implement solutions and transform their organization to deliver high-value health care.
• To help leaders create strategic plans or projects to advance their work in reducing disparities in a customized way, with practical benefits tailored to every organization.
• To align the goals of health equity with health care reform and value-based purchasing.

“This program is about developing new leaders and taking action. It is about helping individuals and their health care organizations understand the critical connection between improving quality and eliminating disparities in care through a concerted, coordinated effort to change our health care system,” said Joseph R. Betancourt, MD, MPH, director of the Disparities Solutions Center at MGH, and a member of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee.


The Disparities Solutions Center at Massachusetts General Hospital was created in July 2005 as the nation’s first, hospital-based disparities center. It has significant experience in addressing racial and ethnic disparities in care, having worked with several leading health plans across the country (Aetna, Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Blue Cross-Blue Shield of Florida, among others) to develop strategies to identify and eliminate disparities. In addition, DSC faculty have staffed the Massachusetts General Hospital Committee on Racial and Ethnic Disparities, pioneering activities such as the Disparities Dashboard, an innovative way to identify and monitor disparities, as well as the development of a culturally competent diabetes disease management program. DSC’s faculty has also played an important role in the effort among Boston hospitals to eliminate disparities under the leadership of the Boston Public Health Commission. These experiences have uniquely positioned DSC faculty to provide training to participants in addressing disparities through quality improvement.


“It is a great honor that two West Tennessee Healthcare employees have been selected to participate in the Disparities Leadership Program,” says West Tennessee Healthcare President & Chief Executive Officer James Ross. “Rose and Katie have worked diligently within our organization through its Diversity Council. The collection and interpretation of data is used to assist in developing strategies to improve health outcomes and address health disparities throughout our region. Rose and Katie are truly great representatives from our region to serve in this national program.”


The Disparities Leadership Program is jointly sponsored by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), and supported by Joint Commission Resources (JCR), an affiliate of the Joint Commission.


About West Tennessee Healthcare:
West Tennessee Healthcare is a public, not-for-profit healthcare system servicing 18 counties in West Tennessee. The mission of West Tennessee Healthcare is to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve while providing exceptional and compassionate care. For more information, visit WTH.org.