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IntroductionLearn, Grow & EarnInclusive WorkplaceEqual AccessAgrace’s Land AcknowledgementCommunity PartnersLearn More

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At Agrace we are strengthened by the diverse experiences, cultures and traditions of our staff, patients, and clients.

Together, we pursue a vision of equity—in which every Agrace staff member is treated fairly, and every patient and client experiences the respectful, individualized care they need and deserve.

We foster a culture of belonging and inclusion that celebrates people’s uniqueness and leads to meaningful, empathetic connections.

Here are some of the ways we show our commitment to these values.

 

Opportunities to Learn, Grow & Earn

Agrace wants staff who reflect the communities we serve and a workplace culture where everyone is treated equally and can rise to their full potential.

Growing in Your Career

We strive to build a culture of inclusion at Agrace, so all the talented people who join us can grow and succeed in their roles. Through various employee development training opportunities, managers can strengthen the skills they need to grow into leaders. Along with tuition reimbursement, we offer scholarships for staff who would like to earn a nursing degree.

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Support for Advancing as a Nurse or Nursing Assistant (CNA)

Our communities need more diverse health care workers as our population ages.

• We support our CNAs who are studying to become nurses. We want them to succeed and stay with us after they graduate.
• You can start working at Agrace as an Age at Home caregiver, even without other health care experience. After a year of learning on the job, Agrace will pay for your training to become a CNA.

CNA Programs

At Agrace, we believe in nurturing the future of compassionate care. That’s why we proudly partner with Centro Hispano and Urban League of Greater Madison for career trainings.

Through our close collaboration, we provide students with the chance to earn their CNA certification, participate in expert and comprehensive training and open doors to fulfilling career paths.

Livable Wages for Our Staff

One reason Agrace has been named among the Best Places to Work by Madison Magazine many years in a row is that we invest in the well-being of our staff. We commit to paying a “living wage” to our benefit-eligible employees (those who normally work at least 28 hours a week for Agrace). With Agrace, you should earn enough to afford a basic, but decent, living for yourself and your family.

“Making “Belonging” one of our three shared values is a highly visible sign that we prioritize diversity and inclusion at Agrace. Another sign of our commitment is that our president & CEO, Lynne Sexten, has signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge.”

— Troy Polnitz, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager

“For years, Agrace has been on a journey to improve equity and inclusion. We have come a long way, but we have more yet to do. We strive to be an organization whose workforce reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and whose staff feel empowered and included. We work to be equitable from our front-line staff to the leaders who help chart our course. Agrace leads by example, being the change so many want to see in society.”

— Lynne Sexten, Agrace CEO

 

Building an Inclusive & Supportive Work Culture

Bringing Your Full Self to Work

Agrace’s qualified and capable staff represents different races, ethnicities, religions, languages, cultures, abilities, sexual orientations, genders and economic levels. We aim to create a workplace that honors the diversity of our staff, patients and families. Everyone should feel like they can bring their full selves to work.

Advancing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: We're Working Together for Change

Agrace’s Advancing Inclusion and Equity Committee steers our efforts to become a more welcoming organization. This diverse group of staff brings their unique experiences to the table as they examine and advise on diversity-related data, policies and actions. The Committee explores ways Agrace can engage with underserved and underrepresented community groups.

These leaders are our standard for inclusion and equity. In challenging us to be better, they are the essence of Agrace!

 

Equal Access to Opportunities and Care

When every member of our community is treated well, we all thrive. We work to learn the cultural traditions of the communities we serve and offer funding so everyone can have access to our care.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Trainings

Our staff works hard to learn about and respect your traditions about illness, dying, funerals and grieving. Through our DEI Speaker Series, people have come to Agrace to teach us about the differing end-of-life beliefs and traditions of several groups we often serve in southern Wisconsin—Amish, Hmong, Ho-Chunk and Latinx people, among others.

These discussions help us appreciate not only the cultures and faiths of our patients and clients, but also the health disparities and racial and gender inequities some of them face in receiving health care. They inspire us to do better.

SAGECare Platinum Certification

Agrace is SAGECare Platinum Certified. This means people who use Agrace’s services can feel confident knowing at least 80 percent of our staff have completed cultural competence training about the needs and concerns of the LGBTQ+ community. As an organization, Agrace’s SAGE certification demonstrates that we are willing and able to provide care and support to LGBTQ+ seniors, and to work with their family members across generations.

Building a LGBTQ+ inclusive workplace is a journey, and at Agrace we know that there is always room for growth. Each year Agrace staff receive new, updated and relevant training in this area.

Translation Services

Agrace serves a diverse community, and we understand that communication is at the heart of quality care. We strive to be a space where language is never a barrier to providing comfort and support to our patients and their families.

At Agrace we are committed to provide accessible care for all, this includes:

• Having interpreters available 24/7
• Offering a wide array of languages to accommodate the unique needs of our diverse community.
• Providing medically certified interpreters that are experts in their field and handle conversations with empathy and care.

Care for All

Everyone deserves to have Agrace’s compassionate, high-quality care, no matter who they are, where they come from or whether they can pay. Through our Care for All program, Agrace steps in to offer our patients help paying when they do not have enough insurance coverage for their care and have no other way to pay for the services they need.

Community donors have given $15 million to an endowment fund. The income generated by the endowment allows Agrace to be able to offer "Care for All" assistance to our patients of up to $750,000 every year.

 

Agrace’s Land Acknowledgement

Agrace Brick WalkAgrace operates within the traditional territories of the Ho-Chunk, Menominee and Potawatomi Nations. We acknowledge that we occupy this land due to settler colonialism and recognize the trauma all Native communities have faced and continue to endure. As we strive for deeper engagement with the hard truths of our shared histories, Agrace further acknowledges the inherent sovereignty of the twelve First Nations of Wisconsin. We offer our gratitude for their care of , and teaching about, our earth. We commit to continue learning and educating as we work to provide extraordinary, personalized care to all and to create a better future together.

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Community Partners

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 Centro Hispano of Dane County
Madison College OutReach LGBTQ+ Community Center

Latino Health Council

United Way of Dane County

 

 

Interested in learning more?

If you have questions, please send an email to our diversity, equity and inclusion team:

DEI@agrace.org