Diversity ... is not casual, liberal tolerance of anything and everything not yourself. It is not polite accommodation. Instead, diversity is in action, the sometimes painful awareness that other people, other races, other voices, other habits of mind, have as much integrity of being, as much claim on the world as you do. And I urge you, amid all the differences present to the eye and mind, to reach out to create the bond that will protect us all.

We are meant to be here together.

William Chase

In keeping with its purpose to improve the health of the people and communities it serves, BJC HealthCare embraces a cultural diversity process to help reflect the community's gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religious and ethnic background, and disability.

We strive to create a workforce capable of positively impacting a diverse community, to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of our customers, to provide a nurturing environment in which all patients feel welcome, and to provide an environment for employees where differences are appreciated and equality is cherished.

Understanding how religious, racial and ethnic differences influence how a patient responds to medical treatment is vital and an exciting, ongoing process.

BJC HealthCare has two major and related challenges regarding diversity. One is to make sure BJC HealthCare is a trusted name among its racially, ethnically and religiously diverse customers.

The other challenge is to hire highly skilled, caring and creative people from a workforce that's changing. Prejudice, intolerance and insensitivity to individual differences damage the effectiveness of everyone who is trying to deliver quality health care.

• All of BJC HealthCare's administrators, directors, managers and supervisors have completed an eight-hour cultural diversity workshop to help understand the importance of diversity in a fast changing health care environment.
  
• More than 100 BJC HealthCare employees are formally involved in regional diversity councils and committees.

To provide BJC access to talented minority employee candidates who have management potential, several internship programs are in place:

• The BJC-piloted St. Louis School-to-Work project has placed high school interns in 15 areas, including payroll, human resources, occupational and physical therapy, and child-care centers in BJC HealthCare hospitals.
  
• BJC HealthCare participates in the Inroads minority internship program, a national youth mentoring program that matches exceptional high school and college age minority students with BJC internship programs. BJC HealthCare currently has nearly 20 Inroads interns placed in communications and marketing, design and construction, finance, health, administration, legal services, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physical therapy and psychology.
  
• In 1996, BJC HealthCare was selected by the Inroads minority internship program as its National Sponsor of the Year. BJC is one of more than 900 organizations and businesses across the nation that sponsor Inroads interns.
  
• BJC is the national pilot for an Inroads internship for one minority pre med student each year. The program, which began May 1997, runs the two to three summers prior to the student's attending medical school.
  
• BJC Cultural Diversity has begun an education process on the topic of sexual orientation in the workplace. Professional presentations to administrators, directors, managers, supervisors and employees are designed to create sensitivity to sexual orientation and a warm and receptive work environment where anti-gay and lesbian discrimination is not tolerated.
  
• The Institute of Diversity in Health Management, Washington University School of Medicine's MHA program and the St. Louis Partnership program have each placed two interns who rotate through various departments, working with BJC HealthCare administrators and executives.
  
• BJC human resources develops recruitment strategies focused on building stronger partnerships with well-known universities throughout the country comprising culturally diverse student bodies.
  
• BJC HealthCare works with professional search firms to help recruit candidates from a wide range of backgrounds when there is an opening in BJC senior management.
  
• BJC HealthCare celebrates a systemwide Cultural Diversity Awareness Week each year in June, sponsoring activities, speakers and events.
  
• The BJC Diversity Choir, comprising volunteer employees, performs a wide range of ethnic musical offerings at various BJC functions.