Cincinnati Children’s recognized as a Top Diversity Leader in healthcare

Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Cincinnati Children’s has been recognized by Modern Healthcare as one of the nation’s Top Diversity Leaders for 2023, which reflects the health system’s commitment to meaningful diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as well as the resulting influence on care delivery, public health and policy across the country.

The Top Diversity Leaders “have exceeded industry standards and continue to devote necessary resources to providing internal opportunities while advancing community health equity, setting a great example for others,” said Dan Peres, president of the trade publication Modern Healthcare.

Bobby Rodriguez, vice president for Diversity, Inclusion & Community Relations at Cincinnati Children’s, said the health system is committed to DEI because it makes a difference for the communities served as well as the organization’s 18,500 employees who care for patients or work on research that leads to cures and treatments that benefit kids around the world.

“Cincinnati Children’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is at the heart of our vision to be a leader in improving child health,” Rodriguez said. “We are on a journey to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, safe, valued, and respected. Investing in talent with diverse backgrounds and experiences allows us to provide culturally competent care that leads to better outcomes for all.”

Cincinnati Children’s is one of the largest pediatric health systems in the United States, and its 1.6 million patient encounters in the past year included kids from all 50 states and dozens of other countries – including children with complex or rare disorders.

One out of four physicians – and 24% of all employees at Cincinnati Children’s – are people of color, Rodriguez noted.

Other key accomplishments in diversity at Cincinnati Children’s include:

• Women constitute 79% of all employees, including more than half of physicians
• Over half of executive and senior managers are women, along with 74% of first or mid-level managers.
• Half of the members of the Board of Trustees are women and 25% are people of color, including chair Liza Smitherman.

Additionally:

• All Cincinnati Children’s employees completed Better Together, a training program focused on identifying and confronting unconscious biases and promoting inclusion.
• Thousands of community members have benefited from health fairs co-sponsored by Cincinnati Children’s.
• The health system has invested in a new grocery store for the Avondale neighborhood, which previously lacked easy access to healthy food options.
• This year’s highlights also include the launch of the Michael Fisher Child Health Equity Center, which explores innovative approaches to address deep and challenging child health equity gaps.

With regard to supplier diversity, Cincinnati Children’s noted $72 million in diverse spending in Fiscal Year 2023.

Modern Healthcare recognized nine health systems with outstanding DEI programs for 2023. In addition to this latest honor, Cincinnati Children’s was the only pediatric health system named one of the nation’s Top Hospitals and Health Systems for Diversity for 2023 by DiversityInc., a company that evaluates organizations that champion inclusion and diversity in workplace practices, leadership accountability, and suppliers. Cincinnati Children’s also was named this year as one of America’s Best Employers for Diversity by Forbes – and ranked the highest of any hospital.