WS Chronicle

VHA Inc., a national network of more than 1,350 not-for-profit healthcare organizations and 72,000 other providers, presented  Novant Health with the 2012 Leadership Award for Supply Chain Management Excellence in the category of supplier diversity. Novant received the award during a national presentation in Denver, Colo.

The Supply Chain Management Excellence awards recognize healthcare organizations for improving operational efficiency and reducing costs from the supply chain while maintaining quality patient care.

“Diversity has long been one of Novant’s core values,” shared Deborah Ashton, chief diversity officer at Novant Health. “And our goal is to ensure that our supplier partners support and reflect our organization’s values and the communities we serve.”

In 2011, Novant Health spent more than $75 million with diverse suppliers and implemented a new reporting program for current vendors to ensure that they also value diverse suppliers. Novant engaged two historically black colleges – Winston-Salem State University and North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University – through formal internship and employment opportunities for nursing and health administration students. Additionally, Novant supply chain leaders were instrumental in helping to form the Regional Healthcare Industry Group, which includes healthcare providers, insurance companies and suppliers.

Novant has been recognized as a Top 10 company by Working Mother magazine and a Top 50 Family-Friendly Company by Carolina Parenting, Inc. In addition, Novant Health is a past award recipient of the Carolinas Minority Supplier Development Council Public-Private Sector Organization of the Year.