The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) aims to integrate equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do. The Office of Equity and Multicultural Services (OEMS) provides key leadership across our agency, and all program areas are engaged in this work.
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Equity and inclusion across ODHS
Here are some of the many ways ODHS supports equity and inclusion for individuals and communities across Oregon:
About OEMS
Mission - The Office of Equity and Multicultural Services advances the mission of the Oregon Department of Human Services by leading and empowering the agency to integrate equity, diversity and inclusion into everything we do.
Vision - Every individual and community has dignity, respect and full measure of human rights.
ODHS provides free help so everyone can use our services. OEMS supports language access through:
- Bilingual employees
- In-person interpreters
- Translation
- Language Link
- I-Speak Cards
- Telephonic interpretation
- Video Remote Interpreting
- Consultation on complex language needs
- Assessment of service options
- Technical assistance
We work to ensure ODHS' programs are available to all Oregonians who qualify by:
- Increasing equitable access to services for all clients
- Developing and implementing strategies to close gaps in service outcomes
- Community outreach and engagement that leads to collaboration, public trust and transparency in services
- Implementing and utilizing expanded demographic data collection to recognize diverse identities, respect how people self-identify and address socioeconomic inequities with accurate and disaggregated data
- Developing metrics and narratives that measure and demonstrate successful outcomes
- Coordinating agency-wide equity and inclusion committees
We support a work culture where the uniqueness of all people is welcomed and valued by:
- Increasing productivity and innovation though diversity and inclusion initiatives
- Promoting an equity lens in decision-making throughout the agency
- Intercultural Conflict Resolution and team building
- Recruitment, promotion and retention of staff who are representative of the people we serve
- Coordinating diversity training and continuous learning efforts
- Strategic planning and provisioning of diversity and inclusion
- Increasing supplier diversity
- Coordinating Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
- Developing sustainable work/life balance
- Developing metrics for diversity and inclusion goals and outcomes