University Hospitals Named Number One Hospital System on 2013 DiversityInc's Specialty List

CLEVELAND, April 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland has been ranked number one on the Hospital Systems Specialty List of the 2013 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity. The full list of 2013 honorees can be found at www.DiversityInc.com/top50.

Among the programs at UH that DiversityInc recognized for this achievement are its cultural competency training for residents and its supplier diversity program.

At UH, all residents participate in a two-week training rotation that includes a cultural competency module. Topics cover what to do when patients' religious beliefs prevent them from following doctors' orders, or how to respond to cultural concerns regarding food/nutrition recommendations or restrictions. 

In supplier diversity, UH was on pace to meet construction supplier-diversity goals of 15 percent Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) and 5 percent Women's Business Enterprise (WBE) spend in 2012.

UH recently completed $750 million in major construction projects throughout Northeast Ohio, employing a novel strategy of using local and minority/female owned businesses to generate local wealth, economic opportunity and jobs. The innovative strategy was designed and implemented by UH, an anchor institution in Cleveland, in close partnership with the City of Cleveland Mayor, Frank Jackson, The Cleveland Foundation and local building trade unions. The innovative program was recognized recently in a case study for building community wealth by MIT and the University of Maryland.

"On the heels of the demographically revealing 2012 presidential election, it is clear that U.S. companies are increasingly conscious of the importance of diversity," said Luke Visconti, CEO of DiversityInc. "We are very encouraged to see more companies applying for this distinction and embracing diversity more deeply than ever. We also note a continued positive correlation between achievement in diversity and overall positive stock performance."

"University Hospitals truly understands the connection between effective diversity management and culturally competent patient care," added Visconti. "Under CEO Thomas Zenty III and Chief Diversity Officer Donnie Perkins, University Hospitals has made remarkable D&I progress, as demonstrated by its human-capital numbers. The hospital system has 55 percent more women than the DiversityInc Top 50 average in its third level of management. And its Board of Directors has 54 percent more racial/ethnic diversity than the DiversityInc Top 50 average."

Companies named to the DiversityInc Top 10 Hospital Systems are not eligible for the DiversityInc Top 50, but are judged leaders in the same indicators applied to the national companies that compete to receive the DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity designation.

DiversityInc 2013 survey results show that Top 50 companies have:

• 76 percent more Blacks, Latinos and Asians on their boards of directors than the Fortune 500
• 54 percent more women on their boards of directors than the Fortune 500
• 43 percent more women in the top level (CEO and direct reports) than the Fortune 500
• 16.6 percent more Blacks, Latinos and Asians in the top level (CEO and direct reports) than the Fortune 500
• 14 times more CEOs who are Black, Latino or Asian than the Fortune 500 (16 percent of Top 50 CEOs are Black, Latino or Asian vs. 1.2 percent for the Fortune 500)

Methodology
The process of determining The DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity is based completely on empirical data. Participation in the survey is free and companies that do business with DiversityInc receive no preferential treatment. In order to participate, an organization must have at least 1,000 employees and fill out a detailed, 300-question survey, which is divided into four equally weighted areas: CEO Commitment, Human Capital, Corporate and Organizational Communications, and Supplier Diversity. Each company is judged within its own industry and each application is vetted by DiversityInc staff. DiversityInc requires notarized CEO sign-offs on submissions from companies where it has not met with the CEO directly. For the 2013 survey, 893 companies participated. For more information, visit DiversityInc's survey FAQ. Companies interested in participating in 2014 should contact [email protected].

About DiversityInc
DiversityInc is the leading source of information on diversity management. The company is a consultancy and publishes two websites, www.DiversityInc.com and www.DiversityIncBestPractices.com, as well as a magazine, published five times a year. DiversityInc also produces diversity events, which average more than 600 attendees from 200 companies and have featured more than 20 CEOs of major corporations.

SOURCE University Hospitals, Cleveland