Director’s role ‘changing the face of healthcare’

He’ll also take cues from the Patient Experience Committee and Patient Partners in the Niagara Health Engagement Network, which Cosby oversees, Indigenous partners and other equity-deserving groups in order to understand their experiences and how to improve.

“Health equity impacts a person’s experience when engaging with healthcare,” Cosby says.

He learned that as he wrote his undergraduate thesis while studying social work in university, which examined the experiences of same-sex couples in long-term care.

By the time the ink was dry on his paper, Cosby had chosen his career path. He wanted to be a social worker in healthcare and represent the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Cosby wears his pronouns and a Pride pin on his lanyard, along with other symbols in support of equity-deserving groups. They’re gestures meant to create a sense of safety for those who have lacked it for so long in healthcare.

There was a time, however, when such signals were hard to come by, including at Niagara Health when Cosby started here in 2017 as a clinical manager in Mental Health and Addictions.

He recalls not having the same sense of safety he has today, thanks to the efforts of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, which Cosby helped found and co-chairs, and the committee establishing Diversity Month celebrations in April and Pride in June.

The fact he could be interviewed for his latest role as an openly queer person is a sign that important strides have also been made, he notes.

He credits a core group of colleagues at Niagara Health for helping to create a safe space for him after he was hired and leading up to the DEI Committee’s creation.

“I was always targeted as being gay from a young age. That trauma sits with you and when you go into a new environment, you’re always scanning,” Cosby says. “I felt comfortable with these colleagues. You don’t always know who you can talk to and it’s that psychological safety we’ve really improved on in the last few years.”

These days, Cosby couldn’t be more excited by the opportunity that comes with his new role – or determined to use his own experiences to be a change agent for people from equity-deserving groups receiving care at Niagara Health.

“As an openly gay person, an openly queer person, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to go into a position to effect change that could impact so many people. Now that I’m in the position I’m in, it’s an opportunity to address things when I hear about inequity or experience inequity. It’s a real opportunity not just for the queer community but all communities. Because I’ve had my experiences, I think I can empathize with others,” Cosby says.

“I want people to know there are people like myself in these positions who are trying to pave the way for our community,” he adds. “I’m determined to do that.”