Diversity: We buy it
by Carlos Junca
Vice President, Supply Chain
Methodist Health System
In honor of Black Business Month, I wanted to share what it means to be part of a company that truly embraces diversity.
Every year, the amount that Methodist Health System spends with diverse vendors continues to grow. I believe that this speaks volumes about our overall culture and our commitment to supporting diversity. It aligns with our goals to increase opportunities for diverse suppliers. It also helps to explain why the Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Supplier Development Council has repeatedly given Methodist the Buy Those That Buy Us™ Best Practice award for our minority business enterprise partnerships and successes with diverse suppliers.
Extra pandemic support
One of our local Black-owned manufacturers is RAM Surgical in Duncanville. They are one of our largest minority-owned suppliers, and our spending with them has not only increased over the last 15 years but also escalated dramatically due to the pandemic. Because of the price increases in raw materials and the upfront payment requirements from manufacturers in Asia, our senior leadership supported a cash advance payment to RAM that allowed them to procure critically needed personal protective equipment. Due to this decision and our partnership with RAM, we were able to provide the PPE supplies our clinicians needed to stay safe.
We’re all on board
Methodist’s Supplier Diversity Committee has successfully coordinated representatives from several departments, including supply chain, information systems, public relations, facilities, human resources, planning design and construction, and corporate services to explore opportunities for inclusion. Our goal moving forward is to leverage existing relationships with minority-owned businesses and create new partnerships to find ways to increase diversity spending where it is advantageous and sustainable. We will continue to work closely with our distributors and group purchasing organization to identify these opportunities.
At Methodist, diversity is more than something we talk about. It’s an integral part of how we do business. I’m proud to be part of an organization whose dedication to diversity and inclusion shows up in so many areas every day.
If you’re looking for an organization that takes diversity and inclusion to heart, take a look at Methodist Health System. Visit us at Jobs.MethodistHealthSystem.org.
© Methodist Health System
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