HCA Healthcare to Give $10 Million to HBCUs and HSIs

Organization to provide funding aimed at creating a more diverse pipeline of healthcare professionals and leaders

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--HCA Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE:HCA), one of the nation’s leading healthcare providers, today announced that it will give $10 million over the next three years to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in communities near its hospitals in order to advance diversity in healthcare.

“HCA Healthcare serves diverse communities across the country, and we know our ability to continue to do that most effectively depends on a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities,” said Sam Hazen, chief executive officer of HCA Healthcare. “We are eager to build productive and collaborative relationships with many of the nation’s leading HBCUs and HSIs to attract Black and Hispanic/Latinx candidates into the many exciting career paths in healthcare.”

HCA Healthcare’s local leadership teams are seeking to identify opportunities to collaborate with HBCUs and HSIs to expand opportunities for students who may be interested in careers in healthcare and related fields. The company expects this will be done in a variety of ways including internship programs, investments in curriculum development and scholarships.

HCA Healthcare has a history of strategically partnering with organizations to develop future healthcare leaders. In 2019, the HCA Healthcare Scholars at Fisk University program was created to provide scholarships, career planning support and internship opportunities for high-achieving undergraduates. In addition, HCA Healthcare committed $1 million to Tennessee State University in 2015 to fund internship opportunities and support the growth of the Health Information Management program. These partnerships and others with industry- and school-based associations, including the National Urban League, the National Association of Health Services Executives and the National Association of Latino Healthcare Executives, are helping HCA Healthcare strengthen the diversity of its talent pipeline at all levels.

“Our partnerships with HBCUs and HSIs allow us to help bridge the gap in Black and Hispanic/Latinx representation in healthcare leadership positions, a challenge our industry faces as a whole,” said Sherri Neal, chief diversity officer of HCA Healthcare. “Advancing the diversity of our talent pool will ultimately help us to deliver more equitable, culturally competent care.”

About HCA Healthcare

Nashville-based HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of healthcare services comprising 186 hospitals and approximately 2,000 ambulatory sites of care, including surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers, and physician clinics, in 20 states and the United Kingdom. With its founding in 1968, HCA Healthcare created a new model for hospital care in the United States, using combined resources to strengthen hospitals, deliver patient-focused care and improve the practice of medicine. HCA Healthcare has conducted a number of clinical studies, including one that demonstrated that full-term delivery is healthier than early elective delivery of babies and another that identified a clinical protocol that can reduce bloodstream infections in ICU patients by 44 percent. HCA Healthcare is a learning health system that uses its more than 32 million annual patient encounters to advance science, improve patient care and save lives. Please click here to connect with HCA Healthcare on social media.

All references to “Company,” “HCA” and “HCA Healthcare” as used throughout this document refer to HCA Healthcare, Inc. and its affiliates.