A Letter From Quest Diagnostics' Chairman, CEO, and President
Originally published in Quest Diagnostics 2021 Corporate Responsibility Report
I am pleased to share our 2021 Corporate Responsibility report.
In 2021, we introduced new diagnostic initiatives, innovative partnerships, and research efforts, remaining passionately committed to our company’s vision of “Empowering better health with diagnostic insights.” Our dedicated team members were able to do this despite working around the clock for a second year to meet demand for COVID-19 testing, bringing the total to 63 million tests.
We launched our Back to Life program to assist governments, employers, schools, and travel companies in restoring their operations. Recognizing that the pandemic shone a light on deep-rooted disparities among underserved communities in the American healthcare system, we continued to seek ways to make sure everyone has access to needed diagnostic testing. We are proud of the collaborations we’ve established to encourage greater access to care, particularly launching Quest for Health Equity (Q4HE), our philanthropic effort with the Quest Foundation backed with $100 million in financial and testing resources.
At Quest, our culture nurtures and values inclusion and diversity (I&D). Among our key initiatives in 2021, we strengthened the diversity of our Board of Directors; created the Quest Inclusion and Diversity Council (QIDC); deployed new I&D training at all company levels; added Diversity Day as a paid holiday, empowering employees to select a day off that is meaningful to them; and introduced 2 new Employee Business Networks (EBNs).
We have elevated our corporate responsibility reporting to demonstrate the essential role that environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues play in driving the long-term sustainable value of our business.
In 2021, we launched our first formal materiality assessment to identify the most significant topics to our stakeholders, identifying issues that have the greatest impact on our long-term sustainable growth. During 2021, our Board undertook a review of its structure and operations to ensure that it has appropriate focus on ESG issues. As a result, the Board realigned its responsibilities and those of several of its committees.
As we look ahead, Quest will continue to support national and international efforts to fight the pandemic and will continue to grow our business to ensure that patients can access the diagnostic testing they need.
I am incredibly honored to have been CEO of Quest Diagnostics for 10 remarkable years. As I reflect upon my time with the company, I am proud of the impact we have had on the people we serve and grateful for the hard work, passion, and dedication of Quest’s employees. I look forward to watching the company continue to grow under the leadership of Jim Davis as the next CEO of Quest Diagnostics.
