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Celebrating Our Common Unity
The Arc ERG provides a space for McKesson employees to honor differences and connect as one community.
Read time: 4 minutes
At McKesson, we believe that embracing diversity helps us serve the healthcare needs of more people.
Arc, one of the newer employee resource groups (ERGs) at the company, embodies this philosophy through its mission to celebrate diversity in its many forms. Arc is committed to fostering a strong sense of belonging across the company, no matter how employees identify. Driven by the mantra that our common unity will strengthen us as one McKesson community, Arc advocates for equity, opportunity, access and advancement for everyone.
Meet two employees whose participation in Arc helps them grow, develop and advance their careers while making a positive impact on colleagues and patients.
Malisa Peters, Specialty Pod Lead, Patient Services at CoverMyMeds
When Malisa Peters began working at CoverMyMeds five years ago and joined their Affinity Council, she couldn’t have predicted the broad reach it would have today.
At the time, the Affinity Council was a single ERG that was open to all employees at CoverMyMeds, which was then an independent company providing support services to help patients get the medications they need.
“It was an opportunity to discover more about other cultures, honor our similarities and differences, and be allies to one another too,” she says.
As CoverMyMeds became an integral part of McKesson, so did the ERG. Today, it’s known as Arc, an open cultural resource for all, with a rapidly growing membership across the U.S. and Canada.
With her historical knowledge of the ERG, Malisa played a key role in scaling Arc across McKesson. She now serves as a board member and is a cultural lead spearheading Arc’s culture day events. One upcoming event in her hometown of Columbus, Ohio, will feature an African drumming demonstration and will welcome a new local chapter of the ERG PALMa, the Professional Association of Latinos at McKesson.
“Through Arc, we want employees to know this is a place where they can be safely celebrated for being themselves and bring forward who they genuinely are,” Malisa explains.
It’s a mission that resonates with Malisa on a personal level. As a former social worker, she knows the importance of understanding the culture, background and perspectives of the people you’re trying to help. At McKesson, she’s found a place where she can continue to learn and grow in her career while making a difference in people’s lives.
In her current role, she leads a team of case managers who help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) make sure they can access, pay for and take their medication as prescribed.
Being part of Arc and its diverse network of colleagues helps her motivate and inspire her team as they work with patients every day.
“It’s taught me to be brave in conversations and make sure people are getting the support they need to overcome whatever challenges they are facing,” she says.
She hopes that Arc serves as inspiration to others outside of McKesson, too.
“I believe we grow stronger by listening to and learning from one another,” Malisa says. “I’m proud to work at a company that recognizes and celebrates diversity.”
Sadine Dalberry-Whyte, Senior Manager, Customer Service Operations at INVIVA
Sadine Dalberry-Whyte joined McKesson Canada in 2018 as part of INVIVA, the country’s largest private network of infusion clinics. Today, she manages the team that coordinates appointments for Canadians who need injections or infusions of specialty medications for chronic diseases.
“I tell my team that we allow people to have a better quality of life by ensuring they get the appointments they need,” she says. “Every patient is important.”
Sadine is known for her passion for people. It’s why Arc came to her, in the form of a colleague who nominated her to bring the new ERG to Canada. While she was already involved with ERGs that organize around a specific identity, such as Black Excellence (BE) and Women Empowered (WE), the concept of Arc was intriguing. In early 2023, she joined the board of Arc to increase its presence and create an even bigger space where anyone can belong.
“Many of us have so much intersectionality in our identities,” Sadine explains. “If employees aren’t sure where they fit in, Arc can provide them with that home. And they can also go into any other room of that house and grow as part of other ERGs.”
Arc also acts as a connector among the 10 additional ERGs at McKesson. For example, through her involvement with Arc, Sadine was connected with the UNITY (Uniting Native and Indigenous Tribes and You) ERG. Now, both teams are collaborating on an initiative to advance care for indigenous populations.
“Together, we are a greater collective force,” she explains. “My knowledge about people and cultures has really expanded since I’ve joined Arc.”
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