Overview

In our latest Supplier Diversity Initiative podcast, Ivan Garcia, Calidad Medical, and Carlie Elwell, Servicon, offer their view from the supplier side. The two share with HASC’s Adam Blackstone about doing business with hospitals and the challenges they face as diverse suppliers.

Garcia and Elwell highlight the importance of educating hospitals about Assembly Bill 962 (2019), which requires many hospitals to report annually on their supplier diversity efforts. They also stress the value of building relationships between the two sectors and how hospitals can benefit from working with local-owned companies.

Our guests underscore that supplier diversity isn’t just about meeting metrics. It’s also about hospitals including different perspectives that reflect the patient populations they serve.

Speakers

Overview

In this podcast, Susan Harrington, Communities Lifting Communities, speaks with Signe Gilbert and Rachel Villanueva, MLK Community Healthcare, about their groundbreaking initiative on cultural diversity in the workplace.

Through workforce development, the program aims to create a culturally aligned workforce.” This means the medical center is “employing those that live in our community and helping them to develop, to have better skills, to work inside our hospital,” Gilbert says.

The initiative includes a full arc of programs, starting with helping employees earn their high school equivalency and pursue health care careers. Other in-house and external training includes nurse residency; a career fellows program, COPE Scholars; and a medical residency program for physicians of color. MLK Community Healthcare’s full-range approach increases worker loyalty and stability, and reduces the need for temporary labor, cutting costs for the hospital.

Speakers

Overview

On our latest In the Spotlight podcast, Susan Harrington, president of Communities Lifting Communities, speaks with some of the founders of the Ventura County Community Health Improvement Collaborative (VCCHIC).

A collective of Ventura County health-oriented organizations, VCCHIC was formed to streamline community health assessments and to then coordinate strategic interventions to improve health outcomes across the county.

VCCHIC partners include county behavioral and public health departments, hospitals, health plans, community clinics, health service providers and other community members. The group seeks to improve health by focusing on three main areas: Mental health and substance use, equitable access to health care, and preventing chronic health conditions.

Community input is vital to the group’s success. “[Community members] know their community the best, they know the resources, they know their needs, and they know what works and what doesn’t work for them,” says Seleta Dobrosky, chair of VCCHIC.

VCCHIC recently received a California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative grant to support its work to advance health equity.

Speakers

Overview

In this segment of In the Spotlight, hospital members speak with HASC about their efforts to increase procurement with diverse-owned businesses, and the best practices and lessons learned along the way.

The three hospitals are involved with the Hospital Supplier Diversity Initiative, launched by HASC and Communities Lifting Communities after AB 962 (Burke) passed in 2019. The law mandates hospitals to report yearly on their spending with minority, women, LGBT and disabled veteran–owned businesses. It also offered a real opportunity for HASC and CLC to help advance health equity and inclusion in the Southland.

The Hospital Supplier Diversity Initiative aims to support HASC hospitals in expanding their purchasing to include diverse suppliers. Guided by the Hospital Supplier Diversity Task Force, the program fosters relationships between businesses and hospital procurement staff. Increasing inclusion in the supply chain helps create jobs, enhance local economies and advance well-being for under-resourced communities.

Speakers

Overview

In part 2 of our Supplier Diversity podcast series, HASC’s Adam Blackstone spoke with Gus Escutia, Quality Environmental, Inc., and Chico Manning, PIH Health. The two described how they met and have formed a successful purchasing relationship over the past few years.

Escutia and Manning are involved with Communities Lifting Communities (CLC) and HASC’s Hospital Supplier Diversity Initiative. The organizations launched the program after AB 962 (Burke) passed in 2019. This state law mandates hospitals to report yearly on their spending with minority, women, LGBT and disabled veteran–owned businesses. Its passage also offered a real opportunity for HASC and CLC to help advance health equity and inclusion in the Southland.

The Hospital Supplier Diversity Initiative aims to support HASC hospitals in expanding their purchasing to include diverse suppliers. Guided by the Hospital Supplier Diversity Task Force, the program fosters relationships between businesses and hospital procurement staff. Increasing inclusion in the supply chain helps create jobs, enhance local economies and advance well-being for under-resourced communities.

Speakers