THE ASPIRE BLOG

“It’s about cross collaboration, connection and ideas that make our organization even better and stronger based on the lived experiences of what’s going on with our people.”

That’s how Chief People Officer Dr. Gina Forrest describes Aspire’s Communities of Connection — internal groups encouraging meaningful relationships among Aspire team members so they feel seen and accepted.

Feeling known, valued and connected is integral to feeling a sense of belonging for anyone, and Aspire Indiana Health is dedicated to fostering that sense of belonging for all individuals within the organization. 

Principles for Connection

Communities of Connection establish the foundation for employees to build relationships, support each other, and strengthen the overall Aspire culture by bringing together team members with shared identities, experiences and interests. 

Governed by six distinct principles — connection, belonging, learning, growth, respect and community — Communities of Connection maintain a simple purpose: to cultivate and foster belonging throughout the Aspire community. For a variety of identities, Communities of Connection provide that space for Aspire team members to come together and create a sustainable community and resource to be leaned on throughout all of life’s challenges. 

The seven active Communities are as follows:

• BIPOC: A welcoming space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, along with allies.
• Veterans: Connects employees who have served in the military, support military families, or have an interest in learning from the experience of veterans.
• Caregiving: Supports employees balancing work with caregiving responsibilities for children, aging parents, spouses, family members or others.
• Early Career Professionals: Supports employees in the early stages of their careers by providing opportunities to learn, develop professionally and explore career pathways at Aspire.
• Neurodiversity: Celebrates the strengths and diverse perspectives of neurodivergent individuals while promoting understanding, accessibility and belonging.
• Retirement Readiness: Supports employees who are preparing for retirement or simply thinking ahead about their future.
• LGBTQ+: Fosters belonging, connection, education and support for LGBTQ+ employees and allies.

Feeling Seen, Heard and Valued

The groups have had an immense impact on the participants but also the broader Aspire organization by influencing Aspire policy, the creation of new groups, and the renaming of certain groups to best represent the participants. 

“I joined the Retirement Readiness Community of Connection because I thought it would be a good way to learn more about retirement,” says Aspire Director of Clinical Applications Randi Selke. “What I found was that everybody had the same questions, and we talked about solutions together.”

Creating open and diverse communities that welcome a variety of experiences and encourage development, both personally and professionally, strengthen the overall culture at Aspire. 

“I hope when you think about our Aspire population of more than 800 employees, you think about who they are as people,” Forrest says. “We’ve got parents; we’ve got the sandwich generation taking care of children and their adult parents; we have folks who identify as BIPOC, and those individuals who identify as LGBTQ+, or neurodivergent. That’s why we try to be so broad with our reach.” 

Compassionate Leadership

Communities of Connection has gone through many changes and evolution. Yet, as evidenced by the continuous additions of new groups, improvements in outreach to employees and coordination of virtual meeting spaces and times, Aspire maintains committed to creating sustainable Communities of Connection. 

“We’re living out our mission by fulfilling Aspire’s promise to invest in our people,” Forrest says. “Invest in their wellbeing, and a part of that wellbeing is feeling like you belong somewhere.” 

Each Communities of Connection group is facilitated by Forrest or another Aspire team member. Community Leads are responsible for planning monthly meetings, guiding meaningful discussions, providing resources and creating learning opportunities. They are also tasked with recognizing and identifying opportunities to strengthen the employee experience.

“I’m here to facilitate, but this is really about all of us — what do we want this group to be and what do we want to get out of it?” says Aspire Employee Relations Specialist Brooke Martinez, who facilitates the Caregiving group. “One of the big themes for our group is understanding that no one is alone, and everyone is going through something tough. We talk about boundaries, time management, and self-care, things we don’t all think about because we’re so busy caretaking. Having a peer who understands your personal struggles makes all the difference when you are feeling overwhelmed.”

Each Community of Connection is unique, and each facilitator brings their own unique perspective and experiences to the group. This flexibility allows each group to formulate their own identity and develop a culture that works best for them. 

But the central mission remains the same: Communities of Connection strive to generate and sustain a meaningful community that supports one another in whatever way that support looks like.

“Aspire is here to provide patient care, but we also have to give to those providing that patient care,” Forrest says. “And that’s what we're trying to do — make sure that those people giving care feel supported, engaged, and have a sense of belonging.”