DiversityInc - October 2007

wealth in the community. Such efforts are starting to pay off. The recently constructed West Edge Business Center has already brought 1,000 jobs to one urban neighborhood. Soon to come: a $38 billion downtown project called Scioto Mile (named for one of the rivers that runs through Columbus) that will create new, mixed-use neighborhoods along the riverfront. And since transportation is central to the city’s redevelopment plans, the administration is considering the addition of a downtown streetcar system.

“Columbus is seeing a boom in urban development,” Mayor Coleman explains.

These efforts are helping to fuel the already successful downtown tourism and entertainment industry. Annually, more than 5 million visitors are drawn to cultural sites such as the King Arts Complex (where the contributions of black artists are preserved and presented) and Kelton House (formerly a stop on the Underground Railroad).

The city’s symphony and jazz orchestras, opera, ballet, theatrical troupes and Gay Men’s Chorus also help attract visitors to the area. Furthermore, Colum-

Mount Carmel Health
System Is Dedicated to
Diversity and Inclusion

“It is imperative that we provide care in a setting which honors diverse backgrounds and needs,” says Mount Carmel Health System President and CEO

Claus von Zychlin. “By leveraging everything about us that’s the same and everything about us that’s different, we fulfill Mount Carmel’s mission and live our core values of respect, social justice, compassion, care of the poor and underserved and excellence.”

Katrina Farmer, director of diversity and inclusion, agrees. “We understand that to fulfill our mission, we need to build an inclusive environment.” Mount Carmel has been providing world-class healthcare with

compassion, acceptance, respect and empathy for more than 120 years. In that time, Mount Carmel has become one of the largest healthcare providers in Columbus and central Ohio, offering patient care in four hospitals, plus surgery centers, outpatient facilities, physicians’ offices, community outreach sites and homes. Mount Carmel is part of Trinity Health, based in Novi, Mich., which also embraces diversity and inclusion as an expression of commitment to respect and social justice. Altogether, there are nearly 11,000 associates, physicians and volunteers at Mount Carmel.

“We are as diverse as people are everywhere, but our commonality is our compassion for others,” says Farmer. “By being culturally competent, we’re able to provide a welcoming environment that honors the physicians, the patients we serve and our associates’ diverse backgrounds and needs.”

Mount Carmel’s strategy to achieve diversity and inclusion includes seven parts: commitment and accountability, training and education, recruitment, communication, retention and development, community partners, and supplier diversity. Says von Zychlin, “Diversity is part of the fabric of what we are about and what we do. By focusing on these key strategic initiatives, Mount Carmel Health System will become a diversity leader in our market.”