CHP names James VP & Chief Diversity Officer

CINCINNATI, OH (July 9, 2012) – Larry James has joined Catholic Health Partners as Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer. James is responsible for leading CHP’s system-wide diversity and inclusion initiatives, including recruiting, developing and retaining diverse talent to reflect the communities CHP serves, providing culturally competent patient care, developing partnerships with diverse vendors, and strengthening leadership accountability for diversity.

Prior to joining CHP, James served as Senior Director of Community Relations and Local Marketing Programs at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center. He also served as President and CEO of L.W. James & Associates (LWJA) and the Center for Multicultural Competence in Healthcare Organizations (CMCHO),where he earned a national reputation for delivering marketing, diversity and cultural competency solutions to institutions such as Premier Health Partners, HCA, Barnes Jewish Hospital Community Medical Centers and ProMedica. In this capacity, he also served as an external resource to CHP in applying Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services that are widely utilized in the industry today. Prior to leading LWJA and CMCHO, James served for 10 years as Vice President, Chief Marketing and Diversity Officer for Middletown Regional Health System (now Atrium Medical Center).

“To deliver value-based care and create effective Patient Centered Medical Homes (PCMHs) in all communities we serve, CHP will need associates and leaders who can bridge cross-cultural boundaries,” said Joseph Gage, CHP’s Senior Vice President of Human Resources. “Larry has a proven history of building strong, metric-based diversity and marketing programs in both for-profit and non-profit industries ranging from consumer goods to healthcare.”

James said: “I am excited about the opportunity to help CHP build on the great strides it has made over the past five years in diversity and inclusion. CHP has made a strong commitment to these areas, as evidenced by honors such as the Supplier Diversity Award from Premier Healthcare Alliance and the Urban League of Cincinnati’s Corporate Medallion Award.”

About Catholic Health Partners

Catholic Health Partners (CHP) is the largest health system in Ohio and one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the United States, employing more than 32,000 associates in Ohio and Kentucky. CHP is one of the top healthcare systems in the nation for quality and efficiency as rated by Thomson Reuters. With $5.4 billion in assets, CHP operates more than 100 health facilities, including 24 hospitals, 15 senior living communities, five hospice programs, eight home health agencies, and a health insurance plan. Its hospitals operate as Mercy, Mercy Health, Mercy Health Partners, Humility of Mary Health Partners, Community Mercy Health Partners and St. Rita’s Health Partners. True to its mission, CHP provided $345.7 million in community benefit services in 2011.