J.E.D.I. Champions of the Month: Leah Lewis-Garber, Renilda P. Tijones and Angela Torres

The J.E.D.I. office would like to recognize Leah Lewis-Garber, Renilda P. Tijones and Angela Torres for their contribution to LifeBridge Health’s justice, equity, diversity and inclusion efforts. The J.E.D.I. simulation exercises they created for the organization are exceptional. They continue to show initiative, dedication and drive as they go above and beyond to promote equity and inclusion at LifeBridge Health.

Q1. How long have you been with LifeBridge Health and what is your current role?

Leah: I started at Sinai as a new nurse on the PCU and then ED in 2013 through 2018. I’m now a Nursing Outcomes Leader with the Clinical Excellence Department at Sinai.

Renilda: I’ve been with LifeBridge Health for almost 22 years; it’ll be 22 years in May. I am currently the Outcomes Educator for Perioperative Services.

Angela: I am celebrating my first work anniversary with LifeBridge Health this April! My current role is Standardized Patient Educator; I work in the Sinai Simulation Center.

Q2. You bring so much passion into the work you do — what motivates you? What motivated you to develop J.E.D.I simulation exercises?

A: Our team is motivated by the team members we serve and recognizing that we are all part of one human family. In various forums we were hearing about our work community experiencing or observing discriminatory behavior and not feeling comfortable to address it in the moment. There is a lot of great work being done to raise capacity to address bias in the workplace, and we saw an opportunity to bring this training to the Sim Lab to give participants hands on experience to build this skill.

We want to recognize another project team member, Liz Krug, for her feedback throughout the development of the program and tremendous evidence-based practice work on Speak-Up culture which played a big part in identifying this need and showing it aligns with current evidence.

Q3. How else do you plan to use simulation to promote inclusion at Life Bridge Health?

A: Piloting this exercise at Sinai was just the beginning! We’ve created a J.E.D.I. Simulation Exercise Program package in order to make it accessible and reproducible throughout LifeBridge Health for anyone that would like to bring this training to their area. We also plan to expand our bank of video scenarios that can be utilized in the simulation exercise and tailored for specific audiences.

Q4. Since starting at LifeBridge Health, what have you found most rewarding?

Leah: The team I have the privilege of working with, collaborating with engaged individuals on special projects and getting to see others excel and shine. Having support from my leadership and the J.E.D.I. office and being able to see the positive impact it has is so rewarding.

Renilda: In previous roles as a nurse leader and currently, as an educator, I take pride in helping people grow. I find it most rewarding seeing them gain confidence and achieve competence in the performance of their jobs.

Angela: Simulations like the J.E.D.I. Simulation Exercise: Interrupting Bias are most rewarding to me. I love connecting our team members to simulation resources to help make their jobs more enjoyable, comfortable and sustainable.