CLEVELAND -- KeyCorp Chairman and CEO Henry L. Meyer III today presented a $1.5 million Key Foundation grant to University Hospitals Health System (UHHS). The largest corporate gift ever to UHHS, the grant underwrites a major new diversity initiative and provides funding for construction of a new cancer hospital as part of Vision 2010, the most ambitious strategic plan in UHHS history.
Under its diversity initiative, UHHS will establish the KeyBank Minority Medical Faculty Leadership Program and the KeyBank Minority Postgraduate Fellowship to help transition minority medical fellows and residents to faculty positions and to train students seeking masters and other advanced degrees in administrative roles throughout the organization.
Intended as a model for the nation’s more than 120 academic medical centers, the initiative focuses on providing practical experience in a mentored environment, while instituting a long-term understanding of and value for minority involvement in healthcare. For example, the Postgraduate Fellowship will engage students in rotational work directly with senior UHHS management and across business divisions, including marketing, human resources and construction/supply chain. The Medical Faculty Leadership Program will document the transition experiences of residents and fellows to faculty positions to maximize retention.
"The healthcare industry needs to do more to encourage diversity at senior administrative levels, and we are pleased to take a leadership position through this initiative. Diversity is an important component of our desire to provide high-quality and personalized care because it dramatically improves our ability to understand the needs of -- and effectively communicate with -- all the patients, families and communities we serve," said Thomas F. Zenty III, President and CEO of UHHS. "We thank the Key Foundation for supporting our efforts."
UHHS generates directly and indirectly 55,000 jobs, $1.7 billion in wages and $122 million in state and local taxes. Its Ireland Cancer Center, which boasts one of the nation’s best survivor rates, will be housed within a new 200-bed freestanding cancer hospital to meet the growing need for cancer care. Construction begins this fall and is scheduled for completion in 2009.
"Outstanding cancer research and treatment are hallmarks of the UHHS reputation. Key recognizes the important work being done to improve quality and access to the best care available to families facing the most difficult time of their lives," said Meyer. "This donation really is a challenge to our corporate community and institutions across the region to step up and help UHHS complete the important work outlined in Vision 2010."