Northwestern Memorial HealthCare Recognized As One of the Top 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers

For the 14^th consecutive year, the health system is selected as a vanguard in family friendly workplaces

CHICAGO, Sept. 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Northwestern Memorial HealthCare has been recognized nationally as one of the "2013 Working Mother 100 Best Companies," the 14^th consecutive year the health system has been singled out as a leader in fostering a family-friendly workplace. Northwestern Memorial HealthCare, which includes Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, is the only health system in Illinois on the annual list compiled by Working Mother magazine.

"Working parents are a vital part of our team in all different roles in our organization," said Dean Manheimer, senior vice president of human resources at Northwestern Memorial. "We're proud to offer benefits, such as flexible schedules, career development, tuition reimbursement and on-site child care, which support our employees. We believe these programs foster a more engaged workforce who are committed to providing exemplary care to our patients."

Working Mother magazine selects its "Working Mother 100 Best Companies" from a detailed application of more than 550 questions about factors like schedule flexibility, child care and paid leave. The application gauges not only whether such programs exist but also the level of employee engagement in them. For the 2013 list, Working Mother magazine gave particular weight to flexible work arrangements.

"We're thrilled to be recognized by Working Mother for the 14^th year in a row," Manheimer said. "This recognition challenges us every year to sustain and innovate a supportive atmosphere for all our employees."

The "2013 Working Mother 100 Best Companies" list is featured in the October/November issue of Working Mother magazine and online at workingmother.com.

About Northwestern Memorial HealthCare
Northwestern Memorial HealthCare is the parent corporation of Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital, an 894-bed academic medical center hospital and Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital, a 201-bed community hospital located in Lake Forest, Illinois. 

About Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Northwestern Memorial is one of the country's premier academic medical center hospitals and is the primary teaching hospital of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.  Along with its Prentice Women's Hospital and Stone Institute of Psychiatry, the hospital has 1,705 affiliated physicians and 6,769 employees. Northwestern Memorial is recognized for providing exemplary patient care and state-of-the art advancements in the areas of cardiovascular care; women's health; oncology; neurology and neurosurgery; solid organ and soft tissue transplants and orthopaedics.

Northwestern Memorial has nursing Magnet Status, the nation's highest recognition for patient care and nursing excellence. Northwestern Memorial ranks 6^th in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report 2013-14 Honor Roll of America's Best Hospitals. The hospital is recognized in 14 of 16 clinical specialties rated by U.S. News and is No. 1 in Illinois and Chicago in U.S. News' 2013-14 state and metro rankings, respectively. For 14 years running, Northwestern Memorial has been rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. The hospital is a recipient of the prestigious National Quality Health Care Award and has been chosen by Chicagoans as the Consumer Choice according to the National Research Corporation's annual survey for 13 years. 

About Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital
Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital is a wholly owned entity of Northwestern Memorial HealthCare. The hospital has 700 physicians board-certified in 90 medical specialties, and provides outpatient services at 8 convenient locations throughout Lake and northern Cook counties.  Northwestern Lake Forest is ranked among Illinois' top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report Best Hospitals 2013-14 and is recognized in 5 clinical specialties. The hospital has been named the Consumer Choice hospital in Lake and Kenosha counties by National Research Corporation's annual survey for 8 years. The hospital's Radiation Oncology program is the only program accredited by the American College of Radiology in Lake County. Northwestern Lake Forest Hospital is a Magnet hospital, having earned the country's highest recognition for patient care and nursing and is rated among the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" guide by Working Mother magazine. For more information, visit lfh.org.

SOURCE Northwestern Memorial Hospital