Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth and University Hospitals are among 17 U.S. health systems to sign the Workforce Impact Pledge, designed by Healthcare Anchor Network (HAN) in collaboration with National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Signing the network pledge supports the health systems' recruitment and workforce development programs. These programs identify opportunities to increase the recruitment, training and promotion of diverse talent.
“Employment is one of the most critical determinants of health that affects a person's quality of life,” says Tom Mihaljevic, MD, CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic and holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair. “Our ongoing efforts to be intentional about hiring, training and promoting diverse talent are key to creating opportunities that support the overall health of the communities we serve. This commitment reinforces our core value of inclusion, which we are proud to take action to support every day.”
Other initiatives Cleveland Clinic has taken to help grow a more diverse workforce include:
- becoming a founding member of OneTen, a national coalition of leading employers to hire Black Americans into family-supporting jobs, which has so far resulted in more than 2,000 hires and promotions;
- offering it THRIVE program to support PCNAs during their first year on the job, and the ASPIRE Nursing Scholars and ASPIRE Pathwayslocal high school and college programs designed to increase diversity in health care, address opportunity gaps, and reduce community health disparities;
- creating learning and gainful programs such as apprenticeships in pharmacy, ophthalmology, epilepsy and sleep;
- hosts successful career fairs in the city of Cleveland that offer on-site hiring to help fill vacancies in the health care system.
“Impact Workforce Engagement” involves aligning recruitment with clinical and community efforts to provide opportunities to individuals who may have faced barriers to employment due to factors such as low income, lack of access to education and training, or other socioeconomic challenges.
“At MetroHealth, we are steadfast in eliminating health care disparities and giving the people we serve the best chance for a happy, healthy life. Improving the health and wealth of our community go hand in hand, so our hiring practices and workforce development programs must be grounded in a commitment to equity and inclusion,” says MetroHealth President & CEO Airica Steed. Ed.D, RN, MBA , FACHE. “No one should ever be denied an opportunity because of the color of their skin, zip code, language they speak or any other demographic that has been used to make people feel less than. We are proud to join our colleagues from across the country in signing the Impact Workforce Commitment.”
As part of its equity commitment, MetroHealth:
- recently pledged $125,000 to the United Negro College Fund to support scholarships and internships for underrepresented students planning careers in health care.
- recently launched a Medical Assistant Training Program to remove barriers to higher education. Trainees are paid to participate in the program and, upon successful completion, will be offered jobs within the system. A similar pilot program for dental assistants successfully prepared apprentices to work in MetroHealth dental clinics.
- home to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District's Lincoln-West School of Science & Health—the nation's only high school within a hospital—where students are mentored by MetroHealth staff and exposed to careers in health care. Lincoln-West students also have access to programs that can prepare them after graduation to work in critical roles such as State Nursing Assistants (STNAs).
“Engaging Workforce Impact” aims to improve social determinants and well-being to create economic opportunity and address racial disparities in the communities served.
“During the most recent period measured, University Hospitals (UH) contributed more than $10 billion to the regional economy, driven by a strong commitment to civic and social responsibility and its role as an anchor institution in Northeast Ohio,” says the CEO of University Hospitals. Cliff A. Megerian, MD, Jane and Henry Meyer CEO Distinguished Chairman. “Just as the system has cured diseases and innovated new standards of care over the decades, UH has also worked steadily to create economic opportunity and prosperity for our communities. We are proud to join with our health system colleagues and the Healthcare Anchor Network to advance initiatives that will advance health equity. Our workforce development philosophy aims to connect NEO residents with jobs where they can develop their professional potential and raise their aspirations. to increase their earning potential; and to help lift their families out of poverty.”
University Hospitals has launched many initiatives over the years to promote workforce diversity, including:
- The signature Step Up to UH program that recruits the chronically underemployed or unemployed from seven Greater University Circle neighborhoods for workforce readiness mentoring, job-specific training and, ultimately, jobs at UH. Earn and learn apprenticeships for positions in demand;
- Pathway program for non-degree and non-certified employees at UH earning less than $25/hour and provides mentoring, career management workshops, job shadowing as well as job training and education.
- Bridge to Your Future and College Readiness programs that help train the next generation of caregivers and support movement into higher-level positions for UH clinical caregivers.
- The UH Health Scholars Program, a five-year educational opportunity for underrepresented, minority Cleveland-area students entering high school. Through its various workforce development programs, UH hired or promoted nearly 300 caregivers in 2022.
Health systems will collect and report data on their progress toward these goals to HAN to ensure accountability and transparency.
