Contact: Jackie Cook; The Rosen Group; 212.255.8455; jackie@rosengroupp.com; or Claudia Vigil-Perez or Anne Streeter, Baptist Health South Florida, 786-596-6534 

Baptist Health makes Top 100 list for 16th time and Hall of Fame for second year in a row.

Working Mother magazine today named Baptist Health South Florida as a Top 10 company on its 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies. It’s the only healthcare organization and the only company in Florida to make the Top 10 list. This is Baptist Health’s 16th year on the 100 Best Companies list., and the second year to make it into the Top 10.

From flextime and telecommuting to backup child care and parental leave, Baptist Health is expanding the concept of family-friendly benefits to ensure they cover adoptive parents, fathers and grandparents as well as working mothers. The organization has paid particular attention to addressing the concerns of employees faced with economic hardship. 

“The economy is not going to alter the commitment of Baptist Health to working mothers, because they've made family-friendly policies a part of their corporate DNA,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media. “Supporting families is a vital part of their culture and not just an added benefit.”

Added Suzanne Riss, Editor in Chief, Working Mother magazine, “Baptist Health knows that their investment pays for itself through employee loyalty and they realize that productivity depends as much on satisfied staffers as on smart processes. By helping employees manage their work/life demands, Baptist Health is creating a highly motivated workforce.”

“There has never been a time when recruiting and retaining top-notch employees was harder than it is today,” said Brian E. Keeley, President and CEO for Baptist Health, the region’s largest not-for-profit healthcare organization. “The reasons are many, and include a global shortage of nurses and other skilled healthcare professionals, as well as the lack of affordable housing in South Florida coupled with skyrocketing gas costs, hurricane insurance and taxes. Our number one priority this past year has been to do whatever it takes to ensure we will have not only enough people, but the right people, and that means taking good care of our employees as Baptist Health continues to grow.”

Examples of programs to assist the nearly 12,000 employees – 75 percent of whom are women – include services to assist employees faced with losing their homes, such as interest-free loans through the Sunshine Fund (funded by employee donations with 2-1 match from Baptist Health) for economic hardships; introduction of backup care to help employees when regular care arrangements fall through for their adult or child loved ones; the “Watchful Eye” program to provide onsite pre- and post-storm emergency child care for employees at Baptist Health facilities; one week of paid parental leave for birth or adoption of a child; and $10,000 in adoption assistance. These are in addition to long-standing services such as onsite child care, tuition reimbursement, nursing scholarships, career advancement services, free fitness centers, extensive employee wellness programs  and free parking. 

Methodology:
Baptist Health was selected for the 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application with more than 500 questions.  The application included detailed questions about workforce, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more.  It 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 programs, and company culture.  For this year’s 100 Best, particular weight was given to family-friendly policies, flexibility, leave policies and benefits for part-timers. 

A complete list of the 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies can be found at www.workingmother.com.

About Working Mother Media
Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers.  Its 22-year signature initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America.  Working Mother is published by Working Mother Media, which was founded in 2001.  Working Mother Media includes the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), Diversity Best Practices, the WorkLife Congress, the Multicultural Women's Conference and Town Halls.  Working Mother Media's mission is to champion culture change. For more information, please visit www.workingmother.com.

About Baptist Health South Florida
Baptist Health is the region’s largest not-for-profit healthcare organization. With nearly 12,000 employees, Baptist Health includes Baptist, Baptist Children’s, Doctors, Homestead, Mariners and South Miami Hospitals, as well as Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute and Baptist Outpatient Services. Baptist Health is also building a new West Kendall Baptist Hospital, opening in 2011.