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United States Department of Labor Honors Johns Hopkins Health System with Opportunity Award - 09/30/2008

United States Department of Labor Honors Johns Hopkins Health System with Opportunity Award

Award Celebrates Best Corporate Practices of Equal Employment Opportunity with Ceremony on October 16 in Washington D.C.
Release Date: September 30, 2008

The Johns Hopkins Health System is pleased to announce that it will receive a national equal opportunity employment award from the U.S. Department of Labor. This “Opportunity Award” will be presented at an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, October 16, 2008. It is the first time in the history of the award that a hospital will receive it.

The “Opportunity Award” honors The Johns Hopkins Health System’s equal opportunity employment efforts, especially those of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Many of these initiatives are done in conjunction with The Johns Hopkins Health System. Johns Hopkins Bayview is a model for successful implementation of a number of programs that provide training to its staff to enhance their skills and prepare them for advancement within the organization.

To assist females, minorities and people with disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center and the Johns Hopkins Health System have implemented some programs such as:

  • On Site RN (registered nurse) to BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) Program
  • Advisory Board’s Leadership Front Line Program
  • Career Counseling
  • GROW Program, an internal recruitment campaign
  • Project R.E.A.C.H. (Resources and Education for the Advancement of Careers at Hopkins)
  • Hispanic Geriatric Nursing Assistant Program
  • Youth Mentoring Program
  • Start On Success (SOS)
     

In addition to these programs, Johns Hopkins Bayview formed a Diversity Council in May 2007. Staff from across the campus work together to develop and implement programs that successfully recruit, engage and retain a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization.

The Secretary of Labor’s Opportunity Award is organized through the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the award is one of the “most desired equal employment opportunity awards ever instituted by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.” The Secretary of Labor, Assistant Secretary for the Employment Standards Administration and the Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Federal Contract Compliance Programs present this annual award to a federal contractor or non-profit organization that has established and instituted comprehensive workforce strategies to ensure equal employment opportunity, and that exemplifies best corporate practices of nondiscrimination.

“Team Bayview has worked diligently to implement practices and create a culture where our diverse workforce is celebrated,” said Gregory F. Schaffer, president of Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. “We are committed to equal opportunity and affirmative action. We believe in our strong plans to recruit, attract and retain female and minority candidates as well as veterans and people with disabilities.”