Nearly 60 percent of the employees in Providence Health and Services’ San Fernando Valley service area, which is comprised of three medical centers, including Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank and Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills, are ethnic minorities. The health system runs 28 hospitals in five states. Fifty-six percent of the employees at Providence St. Joseph belong to ethnic minorities, one-quarter of which are Latino and nearly one-quarter of which are Asian and Pacific Islander. Providence Holy Cross’ workforce is even more diverse, with 62 percent of its workforce made up of minority employees, 34 percent of which are Latino and 23 percent of which are Asian and Pacific Islander. The health care provider also actively recruits nurses in the Philippines to help lessen the impact of the nationwide nursing shortage, according to Providence Health and Services spokesman Dan Boyle. “We have employees from all nations,” he said. According to Ron Sorensen, director of the Center for Community Health Improvement at Providence Health and Services, the organization’s commitment to diversity includes its Latino Health Promoter Program, in which nine educators go into the community and bring services directly to Latinos who are underserved and lack transportation. “What we try to do when we can is bring the service to them,” he said. “In the Latino community, there is a major issue regarding access to health,” said Boyle. The educators hold classes on various health topics and encourage Latinos to obtain health insurance. They also conduct health screenings at churches after Mass celebrations. In addition, about 30 volunteer health promoters work in partnership with local churches to organize health fairs and screening events. Two new health promoter groups are currently being trained in the San Fernando Valley. “Currently, the main focus is on the Latino community,” Sorensen said regarding diversity programs. A large focus of the hospitals is reaching out to the elderly Latino community in particular. Familias Ayudando Familias (Families Helping Families) offers free services to this population. Spanish-speaking counselors are trained to provide home assistance, peer counseling and help with depression to elderly Latinos. The program also includes free transportation for elderly Latinos who need rides to doctor’s appointments. “There’s a lot of need there,” Sorensen said. “It’s meeting a huge need in the community. As we started this program, we realized there was really nothing like this serving Latino seniors. It’s been a really well-received program.” To make their hospital leaders aware of diversity issues, Sorensen said, managers and other leaders take an annual trip to Tijuana to help build homes for the poor. “It makes them aware of some diversity issues that happen across the border,” he said. Sorensen said that the hospital never asks its clients or community members it serves whether they in the country legally or not. As a hospital, especially as a Catholic hospital, the institution has a moral responsibility to care for all people, regardless of ethnicity or nationality, he said. In addition, refusing to serve undocumented workers who are ill can mean the spread of disease and more costly health care for taxpayers later, he said. Although a main focus is on the Latino community, the health care provider also has an extensive outreach program to Samoans in Torrance and the predominant ethnic groups in the various communities it serves. The Armenian Bone Marrow Registry also recently named Administrator Patrick Petrie Man of the Year for his commitment to helping raise awareness about the need to donate bone marrow in the Armenian community. To educate their employees about diversity in the workplace and to honor their employees’ diverse backgrounds, the hospitals hold Filipino, African-American and Armenian days, complete with ethnic foods. In addition, employees are trained about diversity issues. “It’s part of our mission and core values respect,” Boyle said.