A FORTUNE 100 Best Company to Work For

Health network became the first ever Pennsylvania hospital and first non-profit in the state to make the annual list in 2007

Lehigh Valley, Pa. (Jan. 22, 2008) - For the second straight year, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN) is named among the nation's "100 Best Companies to Work For" by FORTUNE magazine. LVHHN is the only Pennsylvania-based employer recognized for 2008.

In 2007, LVHHN became the first ever Pennsylvania hospital recognized and the first ever Pennsylvania non-profit organization selected to the list since the national ranking began in 1998. LVHHN is number 85 on the 2008 list and one of only 8 employers headquartered in Pennsylvania ever to make the list.

"This recognition reflects the commitment of our entire organization to create and contribute to a work environment in which our dedicated physicians, nurses and staff are able to carry out our mission to heal, comfort and care for our community," said Elliot J. Sussman, M.D., LVHHN's president and CEO.

Mary Kay Grim, LVHHN's senior vice president for human resources, says the organization's day-to-day culture helps it to excel in areas that FORTUNE considers important. This includes a free health care plan, shared success bonuses, a shared governance model to provide a say in decision making, and tuition reimbursement programs and initiatives. "To be a great place to care, we need to be a great place to work," Grim said. "These programs and initiatives are important components of our culture. A hospital is about people caring for people and our staff is the key to providing the quality care the members of our community deserve."

"The 100 Best Companies to Work For" list, the 11th annual, is compiled for FORTUNE by the Great Place to Work Institute headquartered in San Francisco. The rankings are based on an evaluation of the policies and culture of each company, and the opinions of the company's employees. The employee opinion score, which makes up two-thirds of the total score, comes from a 57-question survey sent to a minimum 400 randomly selected employees. The remaining one-third of the score is based on an evaluation of workplace culture including company and employee demographics, pay and benefits programs, hiring practices, training and recognition programs.

Among the items measured in the survey that contributed to LVHHN's selection to the "100 Best Companies to Work For" list are:

• Keeps employees informed about important issues and changes
• Gives people a lot of responsibility
• Gives people the resources and equipment to do their jobs
• Genuinely seeks and responds to suggestions and ideas
• Feel you make a difference here
• Work has a special meaning that this is not "just a job"
• Feel a sense of pride about what we accomplish
• Proud to tell others you work here
• Feel good about the ways the company/organization contributes to the community
• This is a friendly place to work

The ranked list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" is now available at www.fortune.com and www.greatplacetowork.com. The list will appear in the February 4 issue of FORTUNE magazine, which will be available on newsstands Monday, January 28.

A premier academic community hospital, Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network includes three hospital facilities - two in Allentown and one in Bethlehem, Pa. - Lehigh Valley Health Services, providing home health, hospice, pharmaceutical and health management services and the 370-member Lehigh Valley Physician Group of primary care and specialist physicians. In 2007, US News & World Report named Lehigh Valley Hospital one of America's Best Hospitals for the twelfth straight year. LVHHN's advanced regional resources include a Level I Trauma Center with added pediatric qualifications, regional Burn Center as well as kidney and pancreas transplant, perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, and neurology and complex neurosurgery capabilities. LVHHN hospitals are designated national Magnet hospitals for excellence in nursing. LVH is one of Pennsylvania's largest teaching hospitals and is a major teaching campus of Penn State's College of Medicine.

ARTICLE TOOLS: