Vitalia Montrose Elaborates on Their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

As a company, Arrow Senior Living has made learning about and celebrating our unique differences a part of our company culture. So much so that, in recent years, it has become an extension of our core values. And now, going on our second year, Arrow has expanded beyond yearly diversity, equity, and inclusion workshops to create Arrow’s D&I Speaker Series, which pairs special guest speakers with residents from our communities to have conversations on a wide range of topics such as mental health, PRIDE, Juneteenth, and so much more. We believe that sparking conversations on what some may believe to be sensitive topics helps to shed light on misconceptions and ultimately brings about understanding as it relates to the experiences of others. This ensures our employees and residents have the tools to build a safe place to live and work, one where a diverse group can come together and feel equally seen, heard, and included. 

At Vitalia Montrose, DEI goes beyond training and mentoring. It is a way of life. One of my favorite conversations thus far this past year was A Mental Health Awareness Conversation with Sandy McGatha and LaVerna Yarnell.

I really enjoyed this DEI as I feel like mental health is such an important topic to touch on. Mental health and depression can be such a stigmatized topic. I feel many people can look at a person with depression and automatically say, “they don’t look depressed,” but truly we never really know what someone may be going through. This DEI really hit on those misconceptions of depression. LaVerna shared her personal experience with depression. She also explained it’s okay to seek help and be on medication. Tips and tools we can use to fight that depression were also provided.

DEI, I believe, is so important. It hits different topics that are so important to understand including cultures, peoples, and other sensitive topics. DEI covers topics that impact our staff, residents, and their families. People can watch our different DEI videos and really get insight and learn more on these topics.

These conversations have only just begun, and I look forward to the conversations to come and all the new growth and opportunity that lies ahead as we work toward creating the greatest and safest place to work that we can!