Press Releases: Ohio
June 18, 2008
Kaiser Permanente Ohio Snags Two 'Best in Class' Awards for Diversity Efforts
CLEVELAND – Cultivating workplace diversity—both within its own ranks and by doing business with like minded companies—has long been a Kaiser Permanente ideal and goal. This past May, KP Ohio's efforts in this area were recognized with two "Best in Class" awards—one for board diversity (minority representation among board membership) and one for supplier diversity (seeking out minority-owned vendors and suppliers). This is the second year in a row Kaiser Permanente Ohio won in the board diversity category.
The awards come from the Commission on Economic Inclusion, a coalition of Northeast Ohio employers committed to making the region's diversity a source of economic strength. KP Ohio was among six CEI members singled out for the awards, which recognize progress in building and maintaining workforce diversity. The employers honored were selected based on preliminary results of the 2007 Greater Cleveland Employers Survey on Diversity™, as well as follow-up interviews by commission staff.
The awards were presented at the Commission's 2008 Annual Meeting held May 8 at Corporate College East in Warrensville Heights. On hand representing Kaiser Permanente Ohio were Ronald L. Copeland, MD, Ohio Permanente Medical Group president and executive medical director, and Tim Alberts, Kaiser Permanente Ohio's vice president of human resources.
The Commission on Economic Inclusion is a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is America's leading integrated health plan. Founded in 1945, it is a not-for-profit; group practice prepayment program headquartered in Oakland, Calif. Kaiser Permanente serves the health care needs of more than 8.7 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Today it encompasses the not-for-profit Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Inc., Kaiser Foundation Hospitals and their subsidiaries, and the for-profit Permanente Medical Groups. Nationwide, Kaiser Permanente includes approximately 156,000 technical, administrative and clerical employees and caregivers, and more than 13,000 physicians representing all specialties.
In Northeast Ohio, Kaiser Permanente addresses the health care needs of nearly 150,000 members in a nine-county area. Services are provided by more than 180 Ohio Permanente Medical Group physicians, 3,000 network affiliated physicians and more than 1,900 non-physician employees. In 2007, Kaiser Permanente of Ohio celebrated 43 years of providing care in Northeast Ohio.
