Creating a “Brave Space”
Here’s how our Diversity and Inclusion Council is making a difference at Blink and beyond.
What’s a “brave space?”
To me, it’s one where you aren’t afraid to be wrong. Where you can openly and honestly learn how the experiences of others might differ from your own in the same space. It’s an environment where we can be open, honest and really learn — where we can become better.
The Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Council is a catalyst for making this brave space a reality at Blink Health. It also serves as a sounding board for when, where and how we can do things better.
Our 10 members come from various departments across Blink, and we all work toward fulfilling the Council’s mission of creating a stronger, more welcoming and inclusive workplace, where all humans feel comfortable bringing their full selves to work and are respected, heard and celebrated.
When I asked Gerry Olmos, who works as a CX Learning and Development Associate here at Blink, why he decided to join the Council, he said it was because he wanted to help create a workplace where people felt comfortable — and because he knew it was a platform to create even greater change at Blink.
This idea of creating positive change is innate in Blinkers. That might be the reason why forming the D&I Council happened organically. Every person who comes to work at Blink does so because they get to help people get the medications they need to live healthy lives. We get to create positive change in healthcare, and in the individual lives of our patients. Creating more positive change within our own organization seemed like a natural extension of that. We found that no one really needed convincing that forming such a group was important; people were craving it.
Blinkers are excited about it. Many of the initiatives we’ve carried out have come from suggestions of employees who aren’t part of the Council. In our first year alone, we’ve invited guest speakers like Anthony Peterson, who served as the Director of Diversity Programs for the Battery Park City Authority; held samba and capoeira lessons from renowned instructors to celebrate Black History Month; catered kosher lunches for Jewish American Heritage Month; and hosted a screening of “Hidden Figures” in honor of Women’s History Month. In addition to these events, we’re planning other initiatives like a Women’s Speaker Series. And this month, I’m excited to announce that we’ll be participating in the NYC World Pride March.
When we were thinking about whether we would participate in this year’s parade, the more obvious question became: why wouldn’t we? We thought of the analogy of Blink Health as a blanket. We’re stitched together by different fabrics, different colors, different weaving techniques… that’s exactly what makes us strong. It’s what allows us to draw on our different perspectives and experiences to form a united front in accomplishing our mission of making prescription drugs affordable for everyone.
The pride march is just an outward expression of that. LGBTQIA+ is an acronym inclusive of all humans from all walks of life. What’s a better way to let the world know: we are here, we see you, we hear you, we are you.
Blink Health is not insurance. The discount prescription drug provider is Blink Health Administration, LLC, 536 Broadway, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10012, (844) 366–2211, www.blinkhealth.com
