The American Hospital Association chose two hospitals and one health system for its 2023 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award.
The award, named after the first Black person and first hospital trustee to chair the AHA board, is given to outstanding work for diversity, inclusion and health equity, according to a July 12 news release.
The winners:
- Meritus Health (Hagerstown, Md.)
The system is the Transforming Winner because of its equity and diversity council and workgroups, as well as its focus on leadership diversity. These teams are dedicated to tracking health disparities and educating staff on cultural competency and unconscious biases.
- Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, N.J.), part of RWJBarnabas Health
The Emerging Winner created a health equity department and an equity/population health steering committee, which work to collect data on the race, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation and gender identity of patients.
- Rapid City (S.D.) Hospital, part of Monument Health
Rapid City Hospital won the Small/Rural Hospital Excellence award after consistently collecting race, ethnicity and language data at a capture rate above 98 percent. Its health equity team analyzes the information to personalize post-discharge care plans to reduce readmission rates.