CEO Coalition Sets New Safety Standard for Healthcare Workers
Health system CEOs sign Declaration of Principles to spark national movement for change
May 04, 2021 Eastern Daylight Time
SAN JOSE, Calif.–The CEO Coalition today announced the signing of a Declaration of Principles that sets a new standard of safety for the nation’s healthcare workers. To catalyze a future in which all care team members feel protected and safe at work, 10 health system CEOs from across the United States joined forces to declare a renewed commitment to improving safety, well-being, and equity for all who work in healthcare.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought new visibility to the selfless acts of courage and the fierce dedication of healthcare team members every day in how they care for patients and their loved ones. It also amplified the physical and emotional risks team members face, as well as systemic inequities.
“We are taking collective actions to protect healthcare workers at every level to ensure they have the systems, tools, and resources they need and deserve to feel safe and thrive,” Tom Mihaljevic, MD, CEO of Cleveland Clinic said. “A new definition of safety will restore trust, protect the well-being of healthcare workers, and recruit and retain individuals to the healing professions.”
The CEO Coalition’s Declaration of Principles expands the definition of safety to include safeguarding psychological and emotional well-being of team members, promoting health justice by declaring equity and anti-racism as core components of safety, and ensuring physical safety, which includes a zero-harm program to eliminate workplace violence, both physical and verbal.
The co-founders of the CEO Coalition and the co-authors of the Declaration are:
– Susan Ehrlich, MD, MPP, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital
– Robert Garrett, FACHE, Hackensack Meridian Health
– Marc Harrison, MD, Intermountain Healthcare
– Rod Hochman, MD, Providence
– Laura Kaiser, FACHE, SSM Health
– Anne Klibanski, MD, Mass General Brigham
– Wright Lassiter, MHA, Henry Ford Health System
– Tomislav Mihaljevic, MD, Cleveland Clinic
– Johnese Spisso, MPA, UCLA Hospital System
– Andrea Walsh, JD, HealthPartners
“There has never been a more important time in our nation for healthcare leaders to step up together. The Coalition wants to create an inclusive and far-reaching community to make a significant impact and lasting change,” said Susan Ehrlich, MD, MPP, CEO of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital. “We hope other healthcare executives will help catalyze this work by signing the Declaration and turning these principles into action.”
“This Coalition is driving meaningful action to protect the emotional, psychological, and physical well-being of healthcare workers, while explicitly acknowledging that health justice is a critical component of safety,” said Bridget Duffy, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Vocera, a founding partner of the CEO Coalition. “We are committed to ensuring this work will influence health practice, policy, and funding to support and humanize healthcare for all.”
About the CEO Coalition
The CEO Coalition, co-founded by 10 health system CEOs across the U.S., is on a mission to protect the physical safety, emotional well-being, and just treatment of all who work in healthcare. Focused on the heart of safety, the CEO Coalition published a Declaration of Principles outlining three pillars of change needed to build a future of caring, trust, and health justice. The co-founders of the CEO Coalition have sparked a national movement and are turning the Declaration into an action plan for meaningful and sustainable change.
