Top Hospitals for Latinos
Story By: Kristian Jaime
The implications of evolving demographics in the nation affect the economy, national security, politics and even the healthcare industry. For the country’s leading hospitals, that means augmenting their care with stronger elements of cultural competency and outreach strategies to attract minority patients. That even means changing the face of the boardroom to include more Latinos in management positions. In the past five years, an estimated 59 million immigrants have come to the United States from across the world. That means placing a premium on diversity in ways not anticipated by industry analysts. Metrics such as the percentage of Hispanic patients, minority outreach efforts, programs to hire minorities and even bilingual or multilingual programs all went into selecting the top 25 hospitals for Latinos.
Latino Leaders Magazine comprised the list from across the country with general care and varying specialties all taken into account.
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Aside from serving one of the most diverse populations in the country’s fourth largest city, MD Anderson currently boasts a 654-bed cancer facility with over 27,700 admissions and has performed 8,656 annual inpatient and 10,281 outpatient surgeries. Its emergency room had 22,423 visits; a staggering number considering it is also a teaching hospital. Diversity is at the core of the mission as they serve a city with an estimated 90 languages spoken in Texas’ largest city. With pertinent information available in Spanish as well as four other languages, it has already acclimated to the changing face of the Houston. Its Diversity Council is an institutional committee, which develops strategies that attract and retain superior talent and assist MD Anderson in enhancing its workforce that is in balance with the community it serve. The hospital employee networks serve as a vehicle to voice ideas, foster support systems and promote the professional development of diversity. That includes six organizations that are open to all employees.
Mayo Clinic
Among the most notable on the list, the Mayo Clinic has locations across the country and sees more than 1 million patients a year including 8,000 international patients from 150 countries. The renowned hospital network has developed websites that provide comprehensive information for patients whose first language is Spanish and established an International Patients Office to help ensure that distance and language are not obstacles to receiving world-class care. Experienced medical interpreters are available at no cost to assist patients as they attend appointments, translate patient education materials, and assist with completing patient registration and finance information. It also offers minority health and wellness programs on: cancer prevention, healthy brain aging, community outreach, community-engaged research and others. Its One World Advisory Council, a patient and family organization, provides culturally competent care. It strengthens the voices of diverse patients and families at its facilities in order to enhance patient safety, satisfaction and quality of care.
Henry Ford Hospital
The Henry Ford health System is regularly awarded as one of the most diverse health networks in the country. Henry Ford supports employee involvement in its diversity and inclusion efforts through participation in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). They promote and encourage a culture of professional growth, build positive direct relationships with staff and maximize each employee’s contribution to the health system mission. Of the seven ERGs, Hispanic employees can join “Amigos de Henry Ford Health System.” The hospital is staffed by the Henry Ford Medical Group, one of the nation’s largest group practices with 1,200 physicians and researchers in more than 40 specialties. It serves patients from across the world at its 53-acre 877-bed hospital, and specialists train the next generation of health care professionals at its education and research center. Locally, the Michigan Minority Business Development Council has twice recognized Henry Ford as the Health Care Sector Corporation of the Year, and five times awarded Henry Ford with the Corporate ONE Award.
Massachusetts General Hospital
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the 999-bed medical center admits approximately 48,000 inpatients, handles nearly 1.5 million outpatient visits, records more than 100,000 emergency room visits and performs more than 42,000 operations. The Nursing & Patient Care Services (N & PCS) Diversity Program is dedicated to developing short and long-range strategies to support workforce diversification within those departments as a means to best serve the hospital’s diverse patient population. Other components of Mass General’s diversity education includes a culturally competent care curriculum, an eight-hour, interactive educational program currently also accessed by those at the hospital’s satellite locations. Efforts to diversity the workforce have paid off with approximately 85 percent of N & PCS clinicians being nurses. Between 1996 and 2006, while the nursing staff grew by 81 percent, the minority nursing staff increased by 207 percent. Members of the N & PCS executive team influenced the hiring of minority leadership including nurse managers, clinical educators, and directors of clinical and administrative programs.
The Mount Sinai Hospital
The Mount Sinai Health System spans locations across the state. It is among one of the most extensive networks on this list boasting over 7,000 physicians, seven hospitals and 300 locations including all their affiliate partners and clinics. It is also an academic institution with a medical school and graduate program included. The Mount Sinai Hospital is a 1,171-bed, tertiary-care teaching facility known for clinical care. The institution also received a Health Care Innovation Award from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to open the first geriatric emergency department in New York City. The Faculty Diversity Council promotes diversity in faculty recruitment, retention, development, and inclusion. We focus on increasing the representation and advancement of groups underrepresented in medicine and research at all levels, from medical and graduate students and trainees through faculty in all departments, institutes, and administration. Site Diversity Councils present recommendations to leadership to address site-specific, diversity-related challenges while supporting the strategic goals of the organization.
Advocate Health Care
Advocate Health Care is the largest health system in Illinois and one of the largest health care providers in the Midwest. Advocate operates more than 450 sites of care and 12 hospitals, including two of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals, and the state’s largest integrated children’s network. With Chicago being the home to the fifth largest Hispanic population in the country, Advocate represents the region’s largest medical group with locations across metropolitan Chicago and Central Illinois. Like many of the hospitals on the list, they strive for diversity with outreach. Among them are efforts by their nursing program with parish nurses working in 39 diverse congregations throughout Chicagoland. Along with providing financial assistance for those struggling with medical costs, Advocate has donated more than $686 million in charitable care and services to benefit communities.
Good Samaritan Hospital
Cincinnati, Ohio is home to one of the most diverse hospitals in the country that is the fourth largest employer in the city of Cincinnati, with approximately 11,500 employees. It totals 650 beds and encompasses more than a city block. To further meet the needs of the growing community, it recently completed an extensive modernization and expansion project that added a new 10-story patient care tower and renovated numerous existing hospital spaces. Diversity Advisory Councils are the groups of people within the Tri-Health organization who lead, advocate for, coordinate, inform, and support the Diversity & Inclusion Strategy. Good Samaritan also has Employees Resource Groups (ERGs). They are also known as affinity groups or business-resource groups, are team member-led and may be formed based on common culture, characteristics. The council will also serve to suggest actions pertaining to diversity success, gain insights from the members of the organization on their perceptions of the diversity effort, and monitor progress of the diversity initiative.
Cleveland Clinic
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland Clinic is a nonprofit, multi-specialty academic medical center that integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education. Today, it includes 1,400 beds on the Cleveland Clinic main campus and 4,450 beds system-wide. With 164,704 acute visits, 58,066 outpatient visits, 208,807 surgical cases and 74 accredited training program, it is one of the largest healthcare providers in the region. The Cultural Competence Programs are designed to foster cultural competency across the full range of Cleveland Clinic departments. Diversity Councils sustain a high-performing, inclusive work environment by integrating diversity goals with the cornerstone values of quality, teamwork, service and innovation for the successful delivery of medical treatment. Diversity Coordinators provide ongoing feedback to the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and in turn, to the Diversity Executive Council. Along with many hospitals on the list, they also employ Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) The purpose of these organizations are to help drive fundamental values, practices and global diversity objectives
Lenox Hill Hospital
As part of the Northwell Health Network, Lenox Hill is a 652-bed, acute care hospital located on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. A staple in the community for more than 150 years, the hospital has earned a national reputation for outstanding patient care and innovative medical and surgical treatments. As the second hospital to make the list from “The Empire State,” it shares a number of similarities in its outreach to minority patients and potential Hispanic employees. The Executive Diversity and Inclusion Council provide executive oversight to diversity, inclusion and health literacy programs and initiatives. The Executive Council is chaired by Michael Dowling, the president & chief executive officer of the health network, and is comprised of other members of senior leadership including the chief diversity and inclusion officer. The Inclusion Academy leadership development program is designed to provide coordinators, front-line managers and directors with the tools necessary to implement and manage diversity and inclusion strategies at their local sites and facilities.
Moffitt Cancer Center
As one of the leading cancer research and treatment facilities in the nation, the Tampa, Florida-based hospital is also serving one of the most diverse populations. Moffitt treats more than 300,000 patients with cancer from common to complex. Moffitt also belongs to a group of elite cancer centers. It is one of only 47 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country and the only one based in Florida. Patients and families separated from their caregiving team by a difference in language rely on Moffitt’s professional translators, medical interpreters, and its over-the-phone and video remote interpretation services every day of the year. The results are rewarding — to patients, the caregiving team, and the interpreters themselves. Among the tools used to invest in diversity includes enhancing Moffitt’s image among underserved communities as an organization delivering cultural and linguistically competent care through prevention education and mutually beneficial partnerships and serving as a resource, as well as, to identify opportunities to increase Moffitt’s preparedness when serving diverse communities.
UT Health San Antonio Cancer Center
While MD Anderson may cast a large shadow, the San Antonio Cancer Center is also a leading institution in research and treatment of various types of the illness. Serving a city with a population that is 63 percent Hispanic demands a comprehensive diversity plan for patient care and aspiring medical student and employees alike. The UT Health San Antonio System established The Office for Student Diversity and Professional Development and was created with a new assistant dean to further support and sustain student diversity and inclusion efforts. The graduates from the medical school from 2006 through 2012 ranked above the ninetieth percentile for Hispanics. The creation of a diversity committee ensured the recruitment of more minority and women candidates in positions as well as bolstering the number of minority students in its medical school and graduate programs. Patient outreach efforts include a bilingual approach in a largely bilingual city. As an option closer to home for cancer treatment, the investment in cultural competency has made it not only diverse, but also dynamic in its approach to care.
Baylor University Medical Center
As the flagship hospital of Baylor Scott & White Health in North Texas, it cares for more than 300,000 people each year and has 894 licensed beds. Its 1,376 physicians attend to 36,007 admissions, 146,077 outpatient visits and 106,979 emergency room visits. As a teaching hospital, it also includes 220 medical residents and fellows. The Diversity Management Council (DMC) is active in both recruiting a diverse workforce and in promoting diversity throughout the workforce. Other efforts by the DMC include: participating in diversity “Train-the-Trainer” Management programs at the facility level, representing the health system and the council in recruitment or community events and developing recommendations and implementing plans to integrate diversity into new employee orientation. As part of preparing for a diverse patient population, the council Assess each facility’s delivery of culturally appropriate care and present recommendations for meeting needs and Study the demographics of each facility’s community and create a plan to address diversity issues.
UCLA Medical Center
With California being home a number of top ranked hospitals, the need to reach the increasingly Hispanic population is more pressing than ever. It totals 530 beds, 25 operating rooms and averages 44,466 emergency room patients annually. It is even nationally ranked in 15 adult specialties and 10 children’s specialties. The Pediatric Faculty Diversity Committee promotes a culture of inclusion and appreciation for diversity across multiple areas, including race/ethnicity and aims to enhance patient care, teaching, and research within the Division of Pediatrics. Among institution-wide goals of the UCLA Heath System is promote recruitment, retention, professional excellence, and overall well-being among underrepresented residents, fellows, and faculty and enhance departmental cultural awareness and sensitivity to enrich the services we provide to the diverse communities represented by patients. Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity (BUILD) is a set of experimental training awards designed to learn how to attract students from diverse backgrounds into the biomedical research workforce and encourage them to become future contributors to the NIH-funded research enterprise.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
As the second hospital on the list from Los Angeles is also highly decorated with 11 specialties nationally ranked. Cedars-Sinai is one of the largest nonprofit academic medical centers in the U.S. with 886 licensed beds, 2,100 physicians, 2,800 nurses and thousands of other healthcare professionals and staff. Clinical programs range from primary care for preventing, diagnosing and treating common conditions to specialized treatments for rare, complex and advanced illnesses. The Office of Faculty Development partnered with Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science to pilot the Cedars-Sinai Summer Scholars Program, a research internship program designed to increase underrepresented minority students’ exposure to and interest in pursuing a career in healthcare research. The Faculty Diversity Ambassadors endeavor to enhance diversity within the health system and engage in community benefit activities to increase awareness and opportunity. Additionally, experts on diversity and related topics have been invited to engage faculty in conversations about diversity and its vital role in academic medicine.
UCSF Medical Center
University of California- San Francisco is home to one of the state’s most decorated medical facilities with national ranking in 15 adult specialties and 10 pediatric specialties. It includes more than a million patient visits to its clinics and about 43,000 hospital admissions a year. About 2,400 babies are born at UCSF Medical. Annually, these services generate about $1.6 billion in revenue. The Department of Medicine’s Residency Diversity Committee (RDC) was created in 1993 to promote and advance diversity among faculty, fellows, staff and trainees in the Department of Medicine and the UCSF campus. Among the numerous duties that fall to the RDC include: increase the diversity of our residency and fellowship training programs, provide mentorship and support for trainees from diverse backgrounds and those interested in working with diverse populations and Provide opportunities to work with diverse patient populations which compliment existing training opportunities. CIENCIA aims to provide an opportunity for the UCSF community to hear specialized, technical talks in Spanish, foster the development of Spanish speaking skills.
UC San Diego Medical Center
UC San Diego Health is one of five academic medical centers within the 10-campus University of California system. Collectively known as UC Health, these medical centers comprise the fourth largest health care delivery system in California and train nearly 50 percent of the state’s medical students and medical residents. With a total of 808 beds, UC Health provided $486 million in charity care, while also generating $16.7 billion in economic activity throughout California. The Diversity Staff Association promotes knowledge about different communities within our employee base while also hosting panel discussions with representatives from various community groups to foster understanding. UC San Diego School of Medicine’s chapter of the Latino Medical Student Association draws its membership from a dedicated group of medical students who are focused on increasing the number of underrepresented minorities at our school of medicine. The hospital offers interpreter services, which include five on-site Spanish language interpreters, a 24-hour Language Line, an interpretation phone service with more than 200 languages offered, and a newly launched My Accessible Real-Time Trusted Interpreter (MARTTI) program.
UC Davis Medical Center
Situated in Sacramento, California, Davis Medical is nationally ranked in 10 adult and 5 pediatric specialties. It serves 33 counties and 6 million residents across Northern and Central California and admits more than 40,000 patients per year and handles nearly 1 million visits. The medical center’s emergency room sees more than 210 patients per day on average. Latinos make up 39 percent of California’s population, but only 4.7 percent of its physicians. To help close the gap, UC Davis and The Permanente Medical Group (TPMG) are launching a new initiative to produce more doctors who are well prepared to advance health for the state’s largest ethnic group. The overall goal of the Prep Médico program – short for “Preparando Estudiantes Para Ser Médicos,” or “Preparing Students to Be Physicians,” is to enhance the diversity in the physician workforce and in Northern California that will provide cultural and linguistically sensitive health care. Transforming Education and Community Health (TEACH) Program, is a nationally recognized primary care training track for resident interested in caring for the medically underserved.
University of Washington Medical Center
Set in Seattle, Washington, the decorated hospital is nationally ranked in 11 specialties. As part of the medical student curriculum, there are optional educational pathways concerned with underserved communities, including Hispanic, Indian, Global, and LGBTQ health. The medical students also engage in numerous service learning opportunities and student-run clinics as well as working with many of the undergraduate diversity programs on the UW campus. Organizations include the Latino Medical Student Association (LMSA), a medical school student group devoted to Latino students and serving the Latino population to name just one. Other measures designed to ensure the success of minority students include: utilizing departmental diversity metrics to make the School more inclusive, awarding UW School of Medicine Diversity Scholarships, supporting affinity-based community groups that provide resources and mentoring and providing ways for the entire community to engage in diversity efforts that improve health outcomes for all patients. The Center for Health Equity Diversity and Inclusion (CEDI) has created new faculty communities through the Committee on Minority Faculty Affairs as well as a network of underrepresented residents and fellows.
Oregon Health and Science University Hospital
As the premier hospital in Portland, Oregon, it has seven specialties and 7 pediatric specialties that are nationally ranked. In total, they see over 1 million patients a year and have over 1,000 licensed and staffed beds. Aside from general care, it also houses a dental clinic. OHSU Healthcare provides equal access to and equal participation in health care activities for persons who are deaf or hearing impaired, and for persons with limited English proficiency (LEP) free of charge. Diversity is also fundamental to OHSU’s ability to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market and maximize the return on the investment in people. The Healthcare Diversity Action plan outlines specific strategies, tactics and desired outcomes for each goal. It offers detailed metrics and identifies who is responsible for each tactic. OHSU recruiters are proactively working with departments to develop a diversity recruitment plan for those positions that are currently underrepresented by minorities, women, people with disabilities and protected veterans. In addition, OHSU actively recruits within community and seeks bilingual talent.
University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics
As a nationally ranked hospital, the University of Utah health system is already making strong headway to include minorities in the medical field. The College of Nursing’s efforts to help diversify the nursing workforce got a boost for its Diversity Recruitment, Retention, and Leadership Development program. Recipients must pursue a bachelor’s degree in nursing, which typically takes four years to complete. The program will provide opportunities for mentoring with nurses and upperclassmen nursing students, offer supplemental instructional courses, and the chance to network and hone leadership skills through involvement in committees within the University or outside. From 1990 to 2000, Utah’s immigrant population grew 171 percent. To help employers manage issues of cultural diversity in the workplace attendant to this rapid increase, the University of Utah’s Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health offered a seminar rooted in cultural competency.
Integris Baptist Medical Center
Rated as the best hospital in the state, Baptist Medical is located in Oklahoma City and is a 511-bed hospital offering a full range of surgical, diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative services. It is a member of VHA, and can have access to the expertise of more than 852 member hospitals and affiliates. Cultural Competence ensures that Integris employees have the awareness and capacity to address cultural issues that may occur. It provides care that is more tailored to meet the patient’s social, cultural, physical, mental, and linguistic needs. One of the main goals of the Diversity Council is to act as catalysts for identifying and implementing new diversity initiatives to continue the process of creating an improved culture of diversity reflective of the communities it serves. Qualified medical interpreters are accessible to patients and families during appointments, procedures and hospital stays. Our over-the-phone interpreting partner, Cyracom International, provides telephonic access to trained medical interpreters in more than 150 different spoken languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Penn Presbyterian Medical Center
The Philadelphia-based hospital boasts 11 nationally ranked specialties. With over 5,000 physicians, it has over 118,000 adult admissions and over 4 million outpatient visits. Adding to its 300,000 emergency room visits and 16,287 births, it is perhaps one of the busiest hospitals in the nation. From its inception, endowments known as the “Fontaine Fellowship” has been used to advance the University’s goals related to diversity specifically with U.S. African American, Native American, and Hispanic students. The Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, formerly known as the Minority Medical Faculty Development Program supports four-year postdoctoral research candidates as well as provide mentorship. The efforts of Perelman School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion are aimed at supporting the many innovative programs underway, as well as exploring new opportunities to embrace diversity and broaden access to people of all ethnicities.
Yale-New Haven Hospital
As one of the most honored hospitals in the state of Connecticut, it had 11 nationally ranked specialties. Among its workload in the region are over 1 million outpatient visitors and over 78,000 inpatient cases. The hospital’s Diversity and Inclusion Team promotes and supports diversity in: recruiting a diverse workforce that is sensitive to and inclusive of people’s differences, educating staff on working with diverse team members and caring for diverse patient populations, providing an excellent patient experience by understanding patient diversity and meeting the needs of the many different people the hospital serves and Working with a wide variety of groups and individuals in the community to improve people’s health and access to care. The hospital also provides a diversity and inclusion component in new employee orientation, diversity and inclusion training for all staff and other resources. The hospital’s diversity and inclusion resources also include an Office of Workforce Diversity.
Johns Hopkins University
Arguably the most famous hospital in the nation, it has been the seminal example of medical achievement. It totals 1,194 licensed beds and 2,000 full-time physicians and has been ranked the best hospital in the country for 22 years. The Diversity Postdoctoral Alliance Committee (DPAC) was launched in February 2015 to create a clear, consistent voice for and to support the development of postdoctoral fellows and trainees who are African-American, Latino, Native American and Pacific Islanders. In patient care, many Latinos are beginning to tap the hospital’s health seminars and social services—three Spanish-speaking therapists are available at Johns Hopkins Bayview’s pediatric clinics. Lastly, in the effort to get more minority students into the sciences, the Diversity and Academic Advancement Summer Institute enrolls Thread high school students and recent graduates in five-week paid summer internships in laboratories, clinics and offices at the school of medicine and Baltimore businesses for real-world experience.
City of Hope
Founded in 1913, City of Hope is one of only 48 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, as designated by the National Cancer Institute. Its role as a leader in patient care, basic and clinical research, and the translation of science into tangible benefit is widely acknowledged. City of Hope is located in Duarte, California, just northeast of Los Angeles, with community clinics throughout Southern California. It is ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S. News & World Report. The center is a pioneer in the fields of bone marrow transplantation and diabetes, and numerous breakthrough cancer drugs are based on technology developed at the institution. City of Hope is dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people with cancer, diabetes and other serious illnesses. Its mission is to transform the future of health care by turning science into practical benefit and hope into reality. The center accomplishes this by providing outstanding care, conducting innovative research and offering vital education programs focused on eliminating these diseases.
For more information on any of these hospitals, be sure to follow the link included under their name