In 2020, the Department of Child Psychiatry asked to collaborate with the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics on the Pediatrics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee book drive.

We decided to have a friendly competition that benefited the children in the inpatient units of the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital the week of December 20 to 26, 2020.

The challenge took place November 16 – December 16, 2020.

During this 4-week time period, the department ran an internal campaign urging faculty and staff who make donations to the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund. Rather than dollars donated, the number of donors per department was counted. Thus, any amount donated, no matter how small, was, and continues to be appreciated. Thank you to those of you who donated. 

The proceeds raised during this 4-week time period went toward purchasing books for kids in the inpatient unit of the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Thus, if a patient checked into the Children’s Hospital as an inpatient the week of the Christmas holiday, that patient could pick out a book to keep for his or her own.

We updated our book list to include new titles that focus on cultural holidays during the month of December (e.g., Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, etc.). Children were able to choose from any of the new titles or the existing titles on our list.

The Stead Family Deparment of Pediatrics' DEI Committee thank you for your continued support of this project and the fund.

View the DEI project featured in The Loop in 2020 here.

Listen to Stead Family Department of Pediatrics' DEI Committe Co-Chair, Dr. Joyce Goins-Fernandez, discuss the initiative with Iowa's North Liberty Library here. 

For more information on the committee, go here.