VCU Health System Named a 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Company by Working Mother Magazine

By Anne Buckley

Working Mother magazine today named the Virginia Commonwealth University Health System one of the nation’s 100 best companies of 2008 for working mothers, marking the fourth time the health system has received the honor. 

The VCU Health System gained recognition for several initiatives, including the region’s first on-site adult day care program, a postpartum doula program to ease the transition of bringing a new baby in the family, tuition waivers for staff and their dependents and an Employer Assisted Housing Program.
 
“It is always an honor to be recognized for the family-friendly policies that we have in place to ensure our employees know they are valued and that we want to help them achieve a work-life balance that contributes to their well being,” said Sheldon Retchin, M.D., CEO of the VCU Health System.

The adult care center, which opened in 2007, is for employee dependents, whether elderly or challenged by mental or physical disability.

“With the average age of our employees being 40.3 years, many of our staff are part of the ‘sandwich generation,’ raising a family and caring for aging relatives,” said Maria Curran, vice-president of human resources for the VCU Health System. “Our on-site child care center addresses part of that challenge, and now, with the adult care center, we are pleased to meet our employees’ complete needs.”

The doula program provides professionally trained advisers who offer postpartum support to the health system’s working mothers and their families with education, hands-on support and reliable information for the mother and the whole family.

The VCU Health System invested almost $3.3 million for employees and their dependents in tuition assistance in 2007, and almost $350,000 of that went to helping 230 employee dependents, whether spouse, child, foster child or step child. About 10 percent of the Health System’s workforce takes advantage of the benefit.

“But simply footing the bill is only half the equation,” Curran said. “We also insist upon an atmosphere of flexible schedules so our employees can attend school while keeping their jobs and benefits.”

Also recognized by Working Mother magazine was the Employer Assisted Housing Program, which provides employees with the education and tools needed to navigate through the home-buying process. The program requires employees to gain information through homebuyer education workshops so that they are active and knowledgeable partners in the pre-purchase, purchase and post-purchase stages of home buying.

“The economy is not going to alter the commitment of the VCU Health System to working mothers because they’ve made family-friendly policies a part of their corporate DNA,” said Carol Evans, CEO and president, Working Mother Media.

In applying for the Working Mother 100 Best, the VCU Health System completed an extensive application of more than 500 questions about workforce, compensation, child-care and flexibility programs, leave policies and other topics.

The application also checked the usage, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them. Seven areas were measured and scored: workforce profile, compensation, child care, flexibility, time off and leaves, family-friendly policies, flexibility, leave policies and benefits for part-timers.

For this year’s 100 Best, particular weight was given to flexibility and family-friendly policies.  

The VCU Health System, which previously earned this recognition from Working Mother in 2004, 2005 and 2007, is the governing body for the hospitals and clinics of VCU as well as MCV Physicians and the Virginia Premier Medicaid HMO. The VCU Health System is designated a Magnet institution, the highest honor and level of recognition awarded for nursing excellence in national and international health care.

Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches nearly 3 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. The complete list of the Working Mother 100 Best Companies can be found at www.workingmother.com.