Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Recognized as a Leader in "Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion”

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) is proud to be recognized for the 2nd year in a row by the Disability Equality Index (DEI) as a leader in "Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion." The DEI is the nation's most comprehensive annual benchmarking tool used to survey employers' disability policies, practices and initiatives. CHOP also received a 100 out of 100 score and ranked as a top-rated organization for the second straight year.

“Valuing and celebrating all of our individual and unique abilities is critical to our organization and core to our culture of inclusion,” said Gilbert Davis, Chief Diversity Officer at CHOP. “This recognition helps our Office of Diversity & Inclusion demonstrate our commitment, which ensures that all of our employees, patients and families feel welcomed, respected and valued.”

At CHOP, inclusion means:

• Creating an environment where employees are able to bring their whole selves to work and practice CHOP’s ICARE values (integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, excellence) and service standards.
• Integrating diversity efforts into clinical trials and research studies to ensure that our innovations can benefit the most patients possible.
• Understanding our patient and family needs and values through patient surveys, parent/teen advisory councils and in physician rounding to ensure that their experiences are considered in our policies, practices and processes.

“This recognition is also uniquely timed, as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law on July 26, 1990, and our ability to promote equal opportunity for people with disabilities has been enhanced across the country and at CHOP. We are leaders in innovation and have made breakthroughs possible because of the strength of our diversity and inclusive culture, which helps us provide the best care for our patients and improve health outcomes for families worldwide,” Davis added.

CHOP champions a number of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which provide employees with opportunities to connect to the broader mission of the organization and ensure that the dimensions of diversity are fully integrated throughout the hospital and CHOP Care Network. ERG members enjoy an enhanced sense of belonging through mentoring, volunteerism and community involvement.

ERGs cover identity categories such as gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, Veteran status, and generations/age; they also include two physician affinity groups. The CHOP All Abilities Resource Group for employees is a strong partner in our efforts, ensuring that all ability voices are heard and advocating for continued inclusion.

The DEI is a unique, joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). In 2020, 247 corporations, including 143 Fortune 500 and 154 Fortune 1000 companies, utilized the Disability Equality Index (DEI) to benchmark their disability inclusion efforts.