Our pledge to make change happen

To our members,

I am reaching out today to acknowledge this difficult and painful time for our country, our community and our GEHA membership. Racial injustice has a long history in our country, but in just a few weeks we’ve seen George Floyd killed on the street, Ahmaud Arbery gunned down while jogging and Breonna Taylor killed by police in her own home. The relentless nature of these events, like so many before them, has unsettled a country already on edge.

GEHA’s history is rooted in the tradition of caring for our members, our employees and our communities. Living up to that value means ensuring that we communicate through words, but most importantly, our actions, that we stand against racism in any form. We are committed to doing our part to end racial injustice.

At GEHA, we approach diversity, inclusion and equity purposefully, with clearly articulated goals, accountability and an emphasis on people, culture and community. We have been on this journey and are making progress, but we will strive to do more. Today, we are proud to announce a shift in our corporate giving philosophy to fund new research into racial disparities in health care.

As a company in the health care industry, we are acutely aware of the negative impact systemic racism has on an individual’s health and well-being. We’ve also seen the racial inequalities of COVID-19 and how it has disproportionately impacted minority communities. Through this research, our goal is to understand not just why disparities exist but how to eliminate them.

As a company, and as a country, we are joined in our mutual sense of devastation. Yet, I am also inspired by the positive action I’m seeing – and I’m committed to partnering with our members, our employees and our communities to make change happen.

Thank you for choosing to be a GEHA member. We deeply value and appreciate each of you.

Be well,

Darren Taylor
President and CEO, GEHA