What is diversity?
Diversity encompasses qualities in three categories:
- Human (race, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, age)
- Cultural (language, religion, class, ethics, values)
- Systems (organizational role and function, geographic location, organizational culture)
Why is diversity important at Cleveland Clinic?
Diversity plays a key role at Cleveland Clinic as well as all healthcare organizations because it affects interactions between employees and the patients and families served.
As a global healthcare provider and the largest employer in Northeast Ohio, diversity is an inherent aspect of interaction with patients, employees and the community.
What is the purpose of the Office of Diversity?
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion provides strategic leadership for creating an inclusive organizational culture of patients, employees, business partners and the community. Initiatives focus on workforce demographics, education, pipeline development, economic development, economic initiatives/supplier diversity and cultural competency learning.
How do we work to advance diversity at Cleveland Clinic?
DiversityInc. recognized Cleveland Clinic as one of America's top 5 hospital systems for diversity, noting its strong employee-resource groups.
Our efforts address diversity through:
- Education: Cultural competency training enables us to better serve and relate to our increasingly diverse patient population and to each other. Our cultural competency skill development increases knowledge, improves employee-to-employee communication and impacts patient care.
- Inclusion: Diversity councils and Employee Resource Groups work to raise awareness and support Cleveland Clinic's employees, our community partners and patients we serve. They create growth opportunities to best serve our system, employees, patients and families.
- Representation: Recruitment and staff development efforts ensure that staff and employees at all levels represent the communities we serve and our global reach.
- Suppliers: Organizing our business process to promote minority participation reflective of the diverse business community will enhance economic growth in the communities we serve.
How has the Office of Diversity & Inclusion been recognized?
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion at Cleveland Clinic has been recognized by various organizations for its work in promoting diversity:
Rated 'Best in Class' for Supplier Diversity from Commission on Inclusion»
Cleveland Clinic is among eight organizations that were recognized in 2006 and 2008 by the Commission on Economic Inclusion as "Best in Class" for progress in building and maintaining diverse organizations in Greater Cleveland.
The commission’s 100 member companies – which include University Hospitals, The MetroHealth System and Lake Hospital System – were eligible for the awards, which were given to one for-profit organization and one nonprofit organization in each of four categories; Cleveland Clinic was recognized in the area of supplier diversity.
Selections were made based on preliminary results of the 2006 Greater Cleveland Employers Survey on Diversity, as well as follow-up inquiries.
In 2006, Cleveland Clinic spent $81 million dollars with minority suppliers in Northeast Ohio. Our hospitals have a vested interest in the economic well-being of Cleveland because it is the community we serve. Our commitment to supplier diversity is based on a strategic premise of increasing and aiding economic growth in Cleveland and the Greater Cleveland region.
For more information on the awards, visit: Commission on Economic Inclusion.
Consistently Rated ‘Above Average’ for Supplier Diversity from DiversityInc. Magazine»
The DiversityInc. Top 50 competition rates organizations based on a detailed, analytic survey of more than 200 questions.
The overall intent is not just to track metrics but to draw an accurate picture of a company's culture. For ratings in the “Supplier Diversity” category, an assessment is completed based on the following:
- An organization’s percentage of procurement budget spent with suppliers owned by blacks, Latinos, Asians, American Indians, women, LGBT people and people with disabilities
- Whether supplier-diversity numbers are audited and have third-party certification
- Whether companies include supplier diversity in their requests for proposals (RFPs)
- Whether organizations mentor suppliers and offer them financial assistance
Received Tubbs-Jones Economic Impact Award»
Cleveland Clinic received the 2007 Tubbs-Jones Economic Impact Award from the Consortium of African American Organizations (CAAO) in Northeast Ohio on May 4, 2007.
It honors Cleveland Clinic's commitment to providing economic opportunities to the black community, taking into consideration the following:
- Business contracts
- Business referrals
- Pro bono work
- Charitable giving
"We’re honored to receive this award, as diversity is integral to our success as an organization," says Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Delos Cosgrove, MD.
"Building an inclusive culture goes a long way toward providing patients with world-class healthcare and being a good community citizen," he adds.
In 2006, Cleveland Clinic worked with more than 56 black vendors, spending $44.4 million among these suppliers and facility and construction vendors. Cleveland Clinic also sponsored more than 13 Northeast Ohio black organizations last year.
Related Content