For the seventh time, Baptist Health South Florida has been named to the list of "100 Best Companies to Work For" by FORTUNE magazine.  Baptist Health is the only Miami-area based company to appear on the list. It is the area's largest private employer with about 11,300 employees. 
 
Baptist Health ranked 81st on the overall list of top employers. It topped the list of most diverse companies to work for with 71 percent of its workforce representing minority groups. It also ranked third on the list of companies with best benefits, with three onsite child care centers;  11th on the list of most women employees with 75 percent;  and 33rd on the list of those companies with best compensation.

"Being on this most prestigious list of best employers is a demonstrable indication of how committed Baptist Health is to creating a work place that is second to none," said Brian E. Keeley, President and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida. "We want our long-term employees to be with us for the long haul, and we want our newer employees to stay and grow with us. That means making sure we put our focus on what's truly important to our success -- our employees." 

The list is compiled for FORTUNE by Robert Levering and Milton Moskowitz of the Great Place to Work Institute in San Francisco. This year 446 companies vied for a slot, up from 161 in 1998.  And, 100,000 workers evaluated their employers, making this the largest simultaneous employee survey in corporate America.  The employee surveys are sent randomly to a minimum of 400 of each company's employees; their opinions account for two-thirds of the total score.  The remaining one-third of the score is based on an evaluation of each company's demographic makeup, pay and benefits programs, and culture. 

Baptist Health has been lauded for its worker-friendly benefits that include a new benefit that  helps employees cope with the high cost of housing in south Florida.  Home Buyer's Pineapple Perk offers $2,000, $5,000 or $10,000 to eligible employees who qualify as first-time home buyers.  Baptist Health has also been recognized for its on-site child care centers; nationally recognized Wellness Advantage employee health program; free fitness centers; and the Sunshine Fund, a source of interest-free loans for employees in need.
 
Other employee benefits include a tuition reimbursement program, nursing scholarships, educational opportunities offered onsite through Organizational Learning and partnerships with area universities, competitive pay and highly subsidized healthcare insurance as well as retirement, disability and pet insurance benefits. 

Baptist Health South Florida, headquartered in Coral Gables, is the region's largest not-for-profit healthcare organization.  It includes Baptist, Baptist Children's, Doctors, Homestead, Mariners (in the Upper Keys) and South Miami Hospitals, as well as Baptist Outpatient Services, Baptist Health Enterprises and Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute.