A Diversity Message From Neil Meltzer - January 2021

January 1 is New Year's Day, a time to celebrate a fresh beginning and, for many, making resolutions.

Do you make a New Year's resolution? Mine is to consistently demonstrate my appreciation for all you do in caring for our patients and our communities as well as to ensure our health system remains the best place to receive care during this pandemic and beyond.

January 1 also marks the anniversary of the official opening of Ellis Island as an immigration station in 1892. Millions of newly arrived immigrants passed through Ellis Island to seek a better life or to enjoy the rights and freedoms denied to them in their home countries. They have contributed to the rich culture the United States has today. It is estimated that close to 40 percent of all current U.S. citizens can trace at least one of their ancestors to Ellis Island.

While many religions celebrate December 25 as the birth of Jesus (Christmas Day) and January 1 as the beginning of the year, for Orthodox Christians around the world, Christmas is celebrated on January 7 and New Year's Day on January 14. These dates are based on the Julian calendar, created by Julius Cesar in 45 BC. (We use the Catholic-created Gregorian calendar, proposed by Latin Pope Gregory in Rome some 1,500 years later). On January 7 and 14, Orthodox Christians will recognize these holidays with their own traditions that often (pre-COVID) include church services, family gatherings and large feasts.

January 17 is World Religion Day, a day to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony. First established in 1950 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'i faith, it's a day when followers of different religions are encouraged to recognize the similarities of their faiths. This is typically done through a variety of events held around the world.

The life, messages and teachings of one of the most well-known civil rights leaders is celebrated on January 18 with Martin Luther King Day. The federal holiday commemorates the birth of Martin Luther King Jr. (King's birthday is January 15). Best known for his instrumental role in advancing civil rights during the 1960s, his actions, along with those of his supporters, culminated in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a Nobel Peace Prize that year. In 1994, the day was officially transformed into a day of service when President Bill Clinton signed National Martin Luther King Day of Service into law. As such, everyone is encouraged to find ways of safely making a positive difference in their communities.

We remember the tragedy of the Holocaust on January 27-International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Millions of Jewish men, women and children were killed during the Holocaust in the Second World War. The General Assembly of the United Nations established the day to mark the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi-German concentration and extermination camp in Poland. International Holocaust Remembrance Day gives everyone the opportunity to honor the lives lost and educate younger generations about the tragedy and the need to prevent such acts from ever occurring again.

At LifeBridge Health, we embrace diversity, and these monthly Diversity messages are meant to recognize and celebrate the richness of our team members' cultures and that of our country. We celebrate both what makes us diverse and unique, and what makes us the same-our shared purpose of caring for communities together.

Thank you for the commitment you make every day to CARE BRAVELY and live our LifeBridge Health values.