IHC joins six U.S. health systems in alliance to improve human resources practices

Salt Lake City’s Intermountain Healthcare has joined six nationally ranked health systems in the formation of the Evolve Health Alliance, a human resources alliance that will work collectively to address key functional areas that will improve the diversity, well-being and engagement of their respective workforces and, ultimately, improve patient care in their respective communities, the new alliance announced.

The alliance and its members operate hospitals, outpatient facilities and other care sites throughout the United States. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, these organizations have shared ideas and best practices so each can more effectively support their individual workforces in the ever-changing healthcare environment, according to a release from the alliance. Now, these organizations will collectively develop new resources so each is better positioned to take on some of the most pressing issues their workforces face today and into the future.

The healthcare systems joining Intermountain are AdventHealth, Altamonte Springs, Florida; Atrium Health, Charlotte, North Carolina; Henry Ford Health System, Detroit; Northwell Health, New Hyde Park, New York; and OhioHealth, Columbus, Ohio.

Included in the initial phase of information-sharing are best practices regarding initiatives that focus on the well-being of employees, workforce data and analytics insights into how human capital programs and operations can be redefined, collaboration to enhance innovation and implementation of diversity and inclusion programs and ad hoc reciprocal agreements to help address staffing needs and enabling human resources teams to remain ahead of the curve amid continuously changing external factors.

“Collaboration is key for healthcare systems to successfully adapt to changing conditions and prepare for the future,” said Heather Brace, senior vice president and chief people officer of Intermountain Healthcare, who also serves as co-chair of Evolve Health Alliance. “We know this alliance will help us evolve policies, practices and initiatives that ultimately benefit our patients and the communities we serve.”

Maxine Carrington, senior vice president and chief people officer at Northwell Health and the alliance’s other co-chair ,said, “Health systems around the country relied on each other’s expertise during the pandemic in ways we had not experienced before. We knew clinically that we were stronger together in advancing patient care, but we also recognized the benefit of collaborating with innovative and like-minded health systems to better prepare our workforces for the future. We are eager to work with our colleagues to push healthcare boundaries to meet our goals.”

Brace said a trigger point in forming the alliance came during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when Northwell Health and Intermountain Healthcare worked collaboratively to address each system’s projected staffing shortfalls due to surges in the number of patients coming to their care sites. To meet demand, Intermountain deployed 48 team members to Northwell, which later reciprocated. Positive staff feedback led to the idea of forming a broader alliance.