October 9, 2009 |
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Joseph Swedish Receives CEO Diversity Leadership
Award at Diversity and Inclusion Summit
NOVI, Mich. (Oct. 9, 2009) – Trinity Health President and CEO Joseph R. Swedish was honored with the CEO Diversity Leadership Award from Diversity Best Practices, an organization dedicated to promoting diversity in the workplace, for his work to enhance culturally competent care delivery within the nation’s fourth-largest Catholic health system. Diversity Best Practices recognized nine corporate leaders at its annual Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Summit & Gala in Washington, D.C., on October 6. The 2009 class of nine award winners includes CEOs from high profile companies such as Cisco, The New York Times Company, OfficeMax and WellPoint. [Video: Trinity Health’s commitment to diversity and inclusion] “These CEOs have shown a long-term commitment and deep passion for diversity that proves out through ecellent corporate initiatives,” said Carol Evans, who leads Diversity Best Practices. “The impact that a CEO has on a company’s culture is enormous, and is key to successful diversity and inclusion work.” |
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In addition to his duties as president and CEO, Swedish serves the dual role of Chief Diversity Officer. He also serves as chair of the Institute for Diversity in Healthcare Management. “It is an honor to represent Trinity Health on this list of distinguished company CEOs who have made a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion,” Swedish said. “The changing demographics and economics of our society challenge health care providers across the industry to elevate cultural diversity and inclusion as a major priority. It is gratifying to know that Diversity Best Practices recognizes Trinity Health as a leader in this work.” The event included a CEO Forum in which the winners will answer questions in front of a live audience of chief diversity officers. Swedish shared best practices from Trinity Health’s initiative to embed diversity commitment and diversity excellence throughout all levels of its nationwide network of 45,800 employees serving patients in 45 hospitals, 29 long-term care centers and hundreds of home health programs, outpatient centers and clinics. As an employer of choice in its communities, Trinity Health’s initiative is focused on developing a culturally competent organization that is equipped to address and eradicate the inequities in care that sometimes occur in health care settings. Trinity Health’s strategy includes the following seven steps: • Commitment and accountability - Hold leaders accountable for creating an environment within their roles of responsibility that support diversity and inclusion. • Training and education – Provide programs that advance culturally competent values and thinking among associates, physicians and board members across Trinity Health • Recruitment - Expand recruitment strategies that support Trinity Health’s ability to hire key talent throughout the organization. • Communication - Ensure that diversity and inclusion themes are reflected in materials that represent Trinity Health. • Retention and development - Create development/career plans for top talent across the organization. Identify leadership development opportunities for associates to learn and grow. • Community partner - Ensure that community organizations representative of diverse groups are partners regarding outreach and delivery of culturally competent care. • Supplier diversity - Enhance economic development and further Trinity Health’s community partner philosophy and procurement practices, including support for minority and women-owned businesses. | |
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Swedish emphasizes the importance of genuinely embracing the creation of a diverse and inclusive culture, linking it directly to increased quality of care. About Trinity Health Trinity Health is the fourth-largest Catholic health care system in the country. Based in Novi, Mich., Trinity Health operates 45 acute-care hospitals, 379 outpatient facilities, 29 long-term care facilities, and numerous home health offices and hospice programs in seven core states. Employing 45,800 full-time staff and more than 8,000 active physicians, Trinity Health reported $7.0 billion in unrestricted revenue and $400 million in community benefit programs in fiscal year 2009. For more information about Trinity Health, visit www.trinity-health.org and find the organization on Facebook. | |
