American Hospital Association honoring Main Line Health with Equity of Care Award
Bryn Mawr, PA — The American Hospital Association (AHA) has selected Main Line Health as recipient of its 2024 Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award, Transforming Winner for creating and implementing strategies promoting equity in the community.
Main Line Health and two other Carolyn Boone Lewis Equity of Care Award honorees will receive the award at the AHA’s Leadership Summit in San Diego on July 21–23.
"By recognizing us the year after they honored the health system with the AHA Quest for Quality Prize shows our long track record of progress in diversity, equity and inclusion is groundbreaking,” said Rosangely Cruz-Rojas, DrPH, Vice President and Chief Diversity and Equity Officer, Main Line Health. “Healthcare is human care at Main Line Health, and I congratulate all our employees for their contribution toward this recognition. There is always more to do, of course, and we pledge to continue on this path.”
The AHA listed numerous initiatives by Main Line Health in its June 5 award announcement:
- To ensure personalized care experiences from the beginning, Main Line Health conducts thorough interviews to determine patients’ preferred titles/names, languages spoken and other demographic data while also discussing visiting hours, dietary requirements and access to patient advocates.
- Continuous improvement in the patient care experience, a top priority for Main Line Health, is accomplished through employee training programs and accountability measures, ensuring that patient experience goals flow through all levels of the organization.
- Initiatives like diversity, equity and inclusion training for all employees and leaders and implementing employee resource groups, lunch and learns, and listening circles contribute to a culture focused on delivering equitable care and fostering a diverse workforce reflective of the communities served.
Main Line Health’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is embodied in workforce representation and community collaborations, evident with diversity and representation on the Board of Governors, in leadership roles, among physicians, and in creating more internal pathways for entry-level employees. Main Line Health stratifies more than 100 quality and safety metrics by race, ethnicity, language, gender, age, zip code and other characteristics and has embedded healthcare equity metrics and initiatives in its clinical environment and service lines while creating accountability for senior leaders and the board.
In addition, Main Line Health partners with the Together for West Philadelphia coalition to foster collaboration among healthcare institutions and community organizations. Main Line Health addresses societal factors that impact health through programs like stroke education targeting vulnerable communities and expanding the community health worker workforce to close gaps for discharged patients with social needs.
“Unfortunately, disparity of care in healthcare is something too many in this country experience, said Jack Lynch, FACHE, President, and CEO, Main Line Health. “At Main Line Health, along with our colleagues at the American Hospital Association, we are committed to identifying these disparities and doing everything we can to eliminate them. I am extremely proud of the progress we have made, but as Dr. Cruz-Rojas said, there is more to do!”
Read more at www.aha.org
About Main Line Health
Main Line Health® is a not-for-profit health system serving the greater Philadelphia region. The System comprises five hospitals, seven health centers, more than 160 outpatient and physician practice locations, over 14,500 employees and more than 2,200 employed and independent physicians and advanced practice providers.
Founded in 1985, Main Line Health includes four of the region’s most respected acute care hospitals — Lankenau Medical Center, Bryn Mawr Hospital, Paoli Hospital and Riddle Hospital — as well as Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, one of the nation’s premier facilities for rehabilitative medicine. The System also includes Mirmont Treatment Center, which provides treatment and support for substance use disorders; Main Line Health HomeCare & Hospice; Main Line HealthCare, its employed multispecialty physician network; Lankenau Institute for Medical Research, a leading biomedical research organization; and Main Line Health Centers offering primary and specialty care, lab, radiology and other outpatient services in Broomall, Collegeville, Concordville, Devon, Exton, King of Prussia and Newtown Square.
Main Line Health brings together physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, researchers and other healthcare professionals across a broad network of inpatient, outpatient, home-based and community-based services. Through this integrated approach, the System delivers high-quality, comprehensive care across the continuum — from primary care and preventive services to complex specialty, surgical, trauma, emergency, rehabilitative, behavioral health, home care and hospice services — with a focus on making care accessible in the communities where people live and work.
Main Line Health also collaborates with leading clinical partners to expand access to specialized care. Through its affiliation with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, pediatric care is provided at select Main Line Health locations, including neonatal intensive care units at its acute care hospitals and Bryn Mawr Hospital’s Inpatient Pediatric Unit and Emergency Department. Jefferson Health neurosurgeons and neurointerventionalists also provide 24/7 specialized care, including neurointervention and lifesaving stroke care.