A rainbow-colored poster with a simple message has been appearing on windows and doorways of downtown shops and offices, announcing in 15 languages, “All are welcome here.”

The poster’s proliferation can be traced to Glens Falls Hospital and its diversity, equity and inclusion committee, formed last year in the midst of the nationwide Black Lives Matter marches, which followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer.

Thousands of people showed up last June for a peaceful march in Glens Falls. Afterward, two physicians – Dr. Andre Johnson, an orthopedic surgeon and the hospital’s chief of surgery, and Dr. Jordan Blackwell, a cardiologist – suggested the hospital could and should do more than react to immediate events like the march. A meeting with Dianne Shugrue, the hospital’s president and CEO, led to formation of the committee.

The committee draws members from every area of the hospital, from surgery to housekeeping, and they have a broad mandate to ensure that all patients, visitors and staff feel welcome and accepted. For example, the hospital staff is trained to be sensitive to patients’ name changes and ask how they prefer to be addressed, pronoun-wise.

“We just had a major training on trans-informed care,” said Kathryn Cramer, the hospital’s intake and inreach coordinator.

A member of the diversity, equity and inclusion committee, Cramer has been leading the effort to spread the welcoming posters across the city and beyond. She has handed out 54 so far, and has temporarily run out while more are printed.

At the hospital, the goal is for “everyone to take for granted they will get good health care when they walk in,” she said.

Her efforts aim to spread the welcoming message throughout the larger community.

The support of the hospital’s leadership has been the key to the effort’s success, Cramer said.

“The first meeting, Dianne Shugrue came in and said, ‘Never hesitate to tell me what you need,'” Cramer said.

Shugrue also handed out a book, “The Person You Mean to Be: How Good People Fight Bias,” by Dolly Chugh, about ways to counteract implicit biases.

“That sparked some really good discussions,” Cramer said.

At Spot Coffee, general manager Bill Dingman stood next to the poster on the shop’s front door and said it has been a positive thing to see them in various doorways.

The appearance of the posters has accompanied the reopening of shops and restaurants as the pandemic has eased and added to the good buzz downtown, he said.

“We’re getting back this summer to where we were the summer before last,” he said.

Will Doolittle is projects editor at The Post-Star in Glens Falls.