Florida Hospital System (see more articles like this)

Last week Florida Hospital received two Beacon Awards during the second Annual Beacon Awards: Celebrating Diversity in Greater Orlando’s Workforce event at Disney's Contemporary Resort in Orlando, Florida.  Florida Hospital won the top award for Corporate Advocate, and Rich Morrison of Florida Hospital won the top award for Individual Advocate.

The annual Beacon Awards: Celebrating Diversity in Greater Orlando’s Workforce recognizes organizations and individuals for celebrating the diversity of Greater Orlando’s workforce by promoting inclusion in areas of race, ethnicity, gender, age, physical and mental ability, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic and family status. Nominations are accepted from counties throughout Central Florida, including Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia.  Winners are chosen in six categories: Large, Medium, and Small Business; Nonprofit; Individual Advocate; and Corporate Advocate.

Florida Hospital received the Corporate Advocate Award based on multiple achievements including sponsorship of the Central Florida Partnership on Health Disparities (CFPHD) in which nearly 70 area organizations combine their efforts toward helping ensure quality health care for racial and ethnic groups in the tri-county area; the hospital’s Diversity Office developed a Diversity Scorecard which received national recognition by the American Hospital Association’s Institute for Diversity in Healthcare; and the hospital’s extensive set of diversity-related course offerings for its leadership and staff.  Florida Hospital’s Rich Morrison, Regional Vice President of Government Affairs, received the Individual Advocate Award for his work in setting up the Central Florida Partnership on Health Disparities (CFPHD) and for his widespread advocacy of health care for the underserved.

“We are honored that Florida Hospital and Rich Morrison have been recognized for celebrating and encouraging diversity in the Central Florida workforce,” said Lars Houmann, president and CEO of Florida Hospital.  "In our mission, inclusiveness is far greater than a social issue. We strive to involve people of all backgrounds and cultures in our teamwork and in our service to the entire community."

The Beacon Awards: Celebrating Diversity in Greater Orlando’s Workforce were founded by the Orlando chapter of the National Association of Women Business Owners, Walt Disney World, the YaYa Network, and Orlando Business Journal to highlight area employers that lead the way in advocating diversity.

Florida Hospital employees come from approximately 60 different nationalities and serve a patient base that is also increasingly diverse.  The hospital’s diversity staffing has grown from a single employee in 1956 to nearly half of its 16,000 employees today.  With seven hospitals and 16 Centra Care locations, Florida Hospital is one of the largest not-for-profit hospitals in the country, caring for more than a million patients per year – that’s more than any other hospital in the country, according to the American Hospital Association.  The more than 1,900-bed system has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the best hospitals in the country for the past nine years.