Rush University Medical Center named finalist for AHA's Equity of Care Award

Rush University Medical Center in Chicago has been named a finalist for the American Hospital Association's Equity of Care Award for its efforts to reduce health care disparities and promote diversity within the organization's leadership and staff. The association announced the award honorees on June 30.

"Individuals at all levels of Rush work hard and are dedicated to providing a welcoming environment and high quality clinical care that does not vary by the gender, race or socioeconomic status of patients. We are grateful for this national recognition from the AHA," says Dr. Larry Goodman, CEO of Rush University Medical Center and president of Rush University.

The American Hospital Association, a not-for-profit association of nearly 5,000 health care provider organizations nationwide. Known as the AHA, the association presents the Equity of Care Award annually to recognize outstanding efforts among hospitals and care systems to advance equity of care to all patients.

The AHA noted Rush University Medical Center for the following efforts to advance equity of care:

• Use of technology, including a "disparities navigator," to examine different health outcomes among patients and target interventions.
• A longstanding language interpreters program with a documented improvement in care.
• Pioneering work of Rush's ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Task Force.

The Medical Center's commitment to equitable care also has earned it honors in the annual Healthcare Quality and Accountability study conducted by the UHC (University Healthcare Consortium), an alliance of more than 110 academic medical centers nationwide. In each of the ten years that the UHC has conducted the study, Rush attained a perfect score in the equity of care category, which means that the results of Rush patients' care do not vary due to differences in patients' gender, race or socioeconomic status.

In all, the AHA honored four health care providers this year. Henry Ford Health System in Detroit and Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J. were named co-winners of the award and Rush and AnMed Health in Anderson, S.C., were named finalists.

"These hospitals are a testament to the tremendous efforts underway to eliminate health care disparities and promote diversity at the local and national level," said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. "The honorees represent what can be achieved to ensure care is provided equitably to all and signifies where we, as a health care field, should strive."