A CHAMPION FOR THOSE ON THE FRONT LINES OF HEALTHCARE
University Health System’s learning and staff development programs are among the best in the country, frequently cited among corporate giants such as Kimberly Clark, Hilton and IBM. And in 2017, the Health System picked up another prestigious honor.
University Health System was selected as one of four Frontline Healthcare Worker Champions by CareerSTAT, a network of healthcare leaders promoting investments in the skills and careers of those on the front lines of medicine.
Frontline workers, according to CareerSTAT, are the backbone of any healthcare organization, providing care and support to patients and families. They represent half of the healthcare workforce.
CareerSTAT is an employer-led initiative of the National Fund for Workforce Solutions. Its benefactors include The Joyce Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. This was the fourth year for its Frontline Healthcare Worker Champions awards.
Judges selected University Health System for its efforts to recruit underrepresented members of the community when hiring for frontline positions, including non-English speakers, immigrants and refugees.
“Good organizations know that their greatest assets are the people they employ,” said George B. Hernández Jr., president and CEO of University Health System.
“The very best organizations work to help their staff members succeed in improving their skills and reaching their career goals. At University Health System, we have developed workplace learning programs aimed at lifting any and every member of our staff — including and especially those providing frontline care to our patients.”
Among University Health System’s many programs, CareerSTAT cited an on-the-job learning and career development system known as ECHO (Expanding your Career and Health Opportunity). ECHO gives frontline workers the chance to move into more advanced roles within the organization.
Some 917 frontline workers and community members participated in at least one workforce development or skill-building program within the Health System in 2016. That’s a major reason why staff turnover was
14.9 percent, compared to a statewide rate of 19.1 percent for healthcare organizations, judges said.
Other organizations named Frontline Healthcare Worker Champions were Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston; Mercy Health System in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kansas; and Ochsner Health System in New Orleans.