M Health Fairview names Maria Medina new director of equity initiatives
We are thrilled to announce that longtime community health advocate and current Richfield, Minn., Mayor Maria Medina is joining M Health Fairview in a new role as director of equity initiatives.
Beginning the week of Jan. 10, 2022, Medina will work across our health system and in close partnership with the communities we serve to improve public health and address the significant health disparities affecting communities of color and other groups in Minnesota.
Working under the leadership of Taj Mustapha, MD, M Health Fairview’s chief equity strategy officer, Medina will help drive initiatives that reframe our approach to healthcare, continuing our efforts to make equity central in everything we do.
Medina has deep experience serving communities – from her work in health equity and population health at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota to her current duties as the mayor of Richfield, where she is both the youngest person elected to that position and first person of color to hold the office. With her mother’s experience as a Mexican immigrant and her father’s upbringing in rural Mora, Minn., Medina's identity as a biracial, bicultural Midwestern Chicana woman bridges communities and contradictions, rooting her in the work of bringing people together across differences to envision new possibilities.
Knowing how social determinants – such as income, infrastructure, and access to healthy foods – can affect a person’s overall health led Medina to become a public servant. This work equipped her with an on-the-ground perspective and experience creating an environment that improves health outcomes.
“If you want to focus on health, you also have to focus on community,” Medina said.
For Medina, that means not only the broader community but the one within M Health Fairview. At the heart of her experiences, Medina serves as a catalyst within large institutions – helping change the way they work to improve lives and outcomes for everyone. Along with transforming our healthcare system to be more equitable, Medina believes we must support hardworking staff that have been exhausted and overburdened during the pandemic.
Medina believes the pandemic and other healthcare challenges have brought awareness of underlying systemic issues and a sense of urgency to the forefront, while serving as the impetus to bring more people and resources to the fight.
“The things that are our biggest challenges are also our biggest opportunities,” she said. “Continuing to provide passion, support, and a vision where people can see themselves as part of the solution and take action is going to be key.”
Medina is excited to bring her knowledge, practice, and passion to M Health Fairview by helping provide the tools, the resources, and the space our organization and communities need in order to tackle the systemic challenges that cause health inequities.
"Equity and caring for other people are the core of good healthcare, and Maria has extensive experience in both of those arenas," said Taj Mustapha, MD. "We look forward to how her leadership will aid our transformation into an inclusive organization that betters the lives of all Minnesotans."
M Health Fairview is committed to becoming an anti-racist, inclusive organization by changing our systems, structures, policies, practices, and attitudes. While commitment to our goal is necessary, by itself it isn’t enough. Action is needed in order to address the significant health disparities affecting the communities we serve. As one of the state’s largest healthcare providers and an anchor institution in Minnesota, we have not only a unique opportunity but a responsibility to increase diversity in our healthcare workforce, address disparities in healthcare delivery and access, and partner with community organizations to alleviate the adverse social determinants of health.
