TORONTO, March 5, 2024 – Women’s College Hospital has been named one of Canada’s Best Diversity Employers for 2024. The award recognizes organizations with exceptional workplace diversity and inclusiveness programs and a collective commitment to fostering a workplace that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
“This acknowledgment reflects the tremendous impact our team has in making WCH a vibrant and inclusive workplace,” says Heather McPherson, President and CEO at Women’s College Hospital. “Every day, our team demonstrates that equity is at the heart of everything we do. This recognition as Canada’s Best Diversity Employer is a shared accomplishment.”
The award highlights WCH’s commitment to its People Equity Plan which fosters initiatives like the Expression of Interest process that provides avenues for temporary leadership and career growth opportunities, Equity and Engagement Surveys that aid organizational leadership in understanding what’s important to its employees, and many other initiatives designed to foster a work environment that supports wellness and resilience while also offering opportunities for feedback and growth for diversity initiatives at an organizational level.
“Through the leadership of our Corporate Equity Committee and Office of Equity, we have been able to create a workplace where our unique identities are recognized and celebrated,” says Sandra Smith, Vice President, People, Culture and Equity & CHRO. “This is exemplified through the meaningful marking of Pride Month, Black History and Futures Month, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and so many more.”
Since 2022, the [r]Evolution Build Back Better Strategic Framework – a strategic roadmap steering the hospital until 2024 – has set the course for creating an environment that breaks down barriers to care, supports hospital staff, and deepens its commitment to equity. Now, through community consultation and with an emphasis on equity deserving groups, the hospital has been on a critical path to develop a new strategic framework that will be its guide in the coming years.
“We know that creating an equitable environment where everyone feels safe and included is an ongoing journey,” says McPherson. “With a renewed strategy coming later this year, we look forward to continuing our work in building upon our DEI initiatives and confronting and dismantling systemic barriers within and outside the workplace.”
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About Women’s College Hospital
Women’s College Hospital (WCH) is a leader in health for women, health equity and health system solutions – a hospital designed to keep people out of the hospital. Guided by its strategic plan, WCH is setting a new pace for radical redesign in its health system, anchored by a bold vision to revolutionize healthcare for a healthier more equitable world.
WCH is transforming the patient experience, creating new models of virtual care to improve access, pioneering system solutions that drive efficiencies and leading world-class research. As an academic hospital, fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, WCH is training the healthcare providers of the future.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Kabir Shergill
Communications Advisor, Strategic Communications
Women’s College Hospital
kabir.shergill@wchospital.ca / (416) 918-3441