Press releases

Released October 22, 2001
Yale-New Haven Hospital news release

3U.S. Department of Labor honors Yale-New Haven Hospital with EVE Award

For more information, call 203-688-2493 or E-mail Mark D'Antonio

Yale-New Haven Hospital (YNHH) has been honored as a recipient of a 2001 Exemplary Voluntary Efforts (EVE) Award from the United States Department of Labor (DOL). Yale-New Haven Hospital was the only health organization in the United States to receive the EVE Award this year and the only Connecticut corporation to be recognized.

An award ceremony honoring the seven corporate recipients was held October 18 in Washington, D.C. The Honorable Elaine L. Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor, presented the EVE Award to YNHH President and CEO Joseph A. Zaccagnino, who accepted the award on behalf of YNHH board members, hospital staff, local elected officials, members of the clergy and community leaders who were in attendance.

The EVE Award recognizes organizations which voluntarily incorporate innovative programs that increase employment and advancement opportunities for minorities, women and individuals with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Labor specifically honored Yale-New Haven for its outstanding cultural diversity effort and extraordinary success in implementing programs that provide expanded opportunities for a diverse workforce.

"I am extremely proud of the women and men at Yale-New Haven Hospital whose commitment to the value of diversity has enabled us to accept this distinguished honor," said YNHH President Zaccagnino. "It is especially rewarding to receive this award in a year that marks the 175th anniversary of Yale-New Haven Hospital's founding in 1826 as the first hospital in Connecticut and the fourth voluntary hospital in the country. This milestone anniversary has provided us the opportunity to reflect on the many contributions Yale-New Haven has made to the advancement of patient care and medical practice and especially to reflect on those individuals who have enabled us to make these outstanding contributions.

"We value the diversity of our team as well as the diversity of the patients we serve and strive to create an environment that rewards personal contribution and enables each individual to achieve his or her full potential," added Zaccagnino.

Yale-New Haven Hospital joins an elite list of top corporations in the United States who were so distinguished by the U.S. Department of Labor. YNHH joins distinguished honorees such as IBM Corporation, Booz-Allen Hamilton, Inc., Georgia Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania Power and Light as EVE Award winners for 2001. Since the EVE Award's inception in 1983, Yale-New Haven Hospital is only the second health care provider to ever receive this honor and is among a select group of prestigious companies previously honored, including Chrysler Corporation, Bausch & Laumb, Allstate Insurance Company and CIGNA Corporation.

Diversity at Yale-New Haven Hospital forms the cornerstone of its workforce, with women and minorities holding many of the key senior management positions. "Valuing our employees is a natural outgrowth of caring for patients," said Al Johnson, vice president for employee relations. "Employees whose needs and concerns are taken into account are better able to provide compassionate, high quality care to patients and their families."

Some of the work-based programs that make YNHH an attractive workplace for women, minorities and individuals with disabilities include:

• An employee assistance program that provides support for employees coping with acute home- or work-related problems
• Nationally accredited hospital-based day care center
• Support for breastfeeding employees
• A 30-year-old employee Mutual Respect Committee
• A dedicated employee relations department
• Flexible paid time off that allows employees to stay home with sick children or elders
• Dependent tuition loans that support higher education for the children of employees
• Tuition assistance program that supports career advancement for employees
• Consulting Pairs, a program which promotes harmony in the workplace and offers problem resolution
• Cultural diversity training programs since 1987

The hospital complements this with community outreach efforts such as:

• School-based partnerships to educate local students about career opportunities in health care
• Four-year scholarships awarded every year to minority students pursuing degrees in nursing or allied health professions
• Over $50 million in care to uninsured or underinsured patients
• School-based health clinics and school partnerships

"To be recognized nationally by the Department of Labor as a leading institution promoting employment opportunities for women, minorities and those with disabilites is quite an achievement," added Johnson. "We are very proud of this distinguished honor and for being recognized as an employer of choice. The EVE Award commends Yale-New Haven Hospital for our commitment to providing employees with an exceptional work environment, as noted by other distinguished honors we have received such as Working Mother magazine's "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" and Connecticut magazine's "Top Places to Work" rankings.

"Yale-New Haven Hospital's positive workforce environment has been based on 175-year-old values, our recognition of the importance of equal employment opportunity and our understanding of the richness diversity brings to a work environment," said Zaccagnino. "Although we sought no recognition for our work, we nonetheless are deeply honored by this award from the U.S. Department of Labor," he concluded. "The strength of our diverse and strong human resources contributes to our national recognition as one of 'America's Best Hospitals,' as ranked annually in U.S. News & World Report."

For more information, please contact Mark D'Antonio at (203) 688-2493. Additional information about the EVE Awards can be found at the Web site of the Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Program.

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