PBN Diversity Equity & Inclusion 2024 Awards
HEALTH CARE SMALL COMPANY: Revive Therapeutic Services
REVIVE THERAPEUTIC SERVICES’ mission is to provide a combination of digital health solutions and tailored in-person care. Clinicians at the Providence-based health organization say a vital component of the mission is understanding and relating to clients.
For Akos Antwi, it is important to have a workforce that reflects the organization’s client base.
The local therapy services provider has grown rapidly since Akos and Abby Antwi founded the company. Revive is now home to 58 clinicians and has supported around 4,500 clients since 2021, providing them with the tools and support necessary to improve their mental well-being.
“We continuously add new clinicians and nurse practitioners based on how many clients we have,” Akos Antwi said. “If our current providers are already at their maximum for caseload, then we know that we’re able to hire additional staff.”
A big part of its success and expansion, Antwi says, is making sure Revive’s client base is comfortable. Matching its workforce with the client base is important because that’s what allows Revive to grow, he says.
“That is what [helped] us succeed,” Antwi said. “Our clients can see that our team reflects what they identify as, whether that is Black, Indigenous, people of color, or a member of the LGBTQ community, even a white provider. That way they are able to feel comfortable and safe. We look for that when we are hiring.”
Antwi says the company’s view of being an equal opportunity employer means that Revive treats all employees and applicants fairly and seeks candidates from all backgrounds and cultures.
“We find workers who come in and fit our inclusive culture and who are open to working in an environment that has different diversity and equity,” he said.
Antwi says that about 65% of Revive’s staff members are women, which he noted shows a commitment to diversity. Approximately 40% of the company’s staff identify as African American, 20% identify as Latinx, 30% as white and 10% from other backgrounds. Half of the staff is multilingual, Antwi says.
When it comes to bringing new staff on board, Abby Antwi says referrals are key. People also like to apply based on seeing pictures of Revive’s team out in the community, she says, and seeing that they identify with them.
To measure engagement and foster a culture that leads to employee retention, Abby Antwi says Revive has quarterly performance evaluations. The conversations are around not just employee performance, but also how the company can find ways to improve, she says.
“We also aim to create a space so that each employee feels valued and respected. We open things up so that different ideas are being respected and enacted,” she said. “And as leadership, we try our best to be supportive.”
Revive also encourages employees from underrepresented groups to lead forums, in which they propose and discuss new DEI initiatives. To strengthen a diverse workforce culture, Revive leadership organizes in-house workshops that Abby Antwi says can be set up at other workplaces as a service.
“We continuously do regular diversity, equity and inclusion assessments, just to make sure that our initiatives make sense and are progressing,” she said. “We do a lot of volunteer activities and volunteer drives to help different causes”
Desiree Soto, a clinician at Revive who has been working there since the organization opened its doors, said her background as a Puerto Rican mental health worker helps her connect with her clients.
“In my culture, we don’t really seek treatment. We are told sometimes to just get over it. You don’t really get help or services,” Soto said. “When people actually do seek services and they see someone who is a person of color, I think it makes them feel more relatable, and they’re able to kind of open up and feel more comfortable because they kind of understand that barrier within that cultural piece.”
