PCMH Named A 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Company By Working Mother Magazine

– Celebrating corporate America’s family-friendly leaders –

New York, NY (Sept. 23, 2008)—Working Mother magazine today named Pitt County Memorial Hospital one of the 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies. This recognition marks the fourth time PCMH has made the Working Mother 100 Best Companies list.

From flextime and telecommuting to backup child care and parental leave, Pitt County Memorial Hospital is expanding the concept of family-friendly benefits to ensure they cover adoptive parents, fathers and grandparents as well as working mothers.

“The economy is not going to alter the commitment of Pitt County Memorial Hospital to working mothers, because they’ve made family-friendly policies a part of their corporate DNA,” said Carol Evans, CEO, Working Mother Media. “Supporting families is a vital part of their culture and not just an added benefit.”

Added Suzanne Riss, editor-in-chief, Working Mother magazine, “Pitt County Memorial Hospital knows that its investment pays for itself through employee loyalty, and hospital leaders realize that productivity depends as much on satisfied staffers as on smart processes. By helping employees manage their work/life demands, PCMH is creating a highly motivated workforce.”

Steve Lawler, president of PCMH, said the recognition is less about the organization and more about the people. 

“We are excited to be named to this distinguished list and proud of the many things our hospital does to make it a great place for working mothers,” Lawler said. “We are in the people business, and working mothers and those who support these remarkable women are the backbone of our business.”

Pitt County Memorial Hospital has initiated several new programs that have made an positive impact on the lives of its employees:

Addressing key employee issues in a variety of formats, including employee forums, surveys, emails, flyers, letters, intranet site, newsletters, employee task forces and employee teams. Employee forums present timely information on a variety of key work issues, such as compensation and benefits, employee satisfaction and work life. 
Creating employee-based teams to implement the “Journey to Excellence,” a continuing focus on developing a new culture of service excellence throughout the organization. Employee teams address communication, employee experience, measurement, physician experience, safety, patient experience and standards. 
Offering networking opportunities through the ViQuest Center (health and wellness programs) such as dance lessons, trips to ballgames, complimentary theater tickets, “Drop-A-Ton” weight-loss program, ski trips, swim lessons and other family outings. Community involvement opportunities are a priority in this organization. 
Offering the Mini-MBA Program in conjunction with the East Carolina University School of Business. This program allows participants to learn business concepts by using PCMH data.  The format focuses on financial accounting, marketing, management, human resources, strategy and leadership. 
Developing a process to help senior leadership identify, assess and develop top talent within the system to establish a continuous pipeline of candidates for key positions.
Providing individual help for employees through Insight, the employee assistance program, a pregnancy wellness program for employees and/or their pregnant spouses, and a Hopeful Beginnings postpartum support group to help new mothers experiencing postpartum depression. 
Providing the ViQuest clinic (assists employees and family members by prescribing medication, nutrition information and wellness practices), the employee pharmacy and the employee medical coverage plan. 
Sponsoring an annual Working Mother of the Year Contest. This year’s winner, Belinda Leggett of Greenville, is a staff nurse in the anesthesia section of the Pain Management Center. She has worked at PCMH for more than 20 years.
Methodology:  Pitt County Memorial Hospital was selected for the 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies based on an extensive application with more than 500 questions. The application included detailed questions about workforce, compensation, child care, flexibility programs, leave policies and more. It also checked the usage, availability and tracking of programs, as well as the accountability of managers who oversee them. Seven areas were measured and scored:  workforce profile, compensation, child care, flexibility, time off and leaves, family-friendly programs, and company culture. For this year’s 100 Best, particular weight was given to family-friendly policies, flexibility, leave policies and benefits for part-timers. 

A complete list of the 2008 Working Mother 100 Best Companies can be found at http://www.workingmother.com.

About Pitt County Memorial Hospital

Pitt County Memorial Hospital, one of four academic medical centers in North Carolina, is the flagship hospital for University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina and serves as the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. PCMH is a regional resource for all levels of health services and information. The hospital is a tertiary referral center and provides acute, intermediate, rehabilitation and outpatient health services to more than 1.3 million people in 29 counties. In an average year, we treat about 33,000 inpatients and more than 266,000 outpatients. More than 3,000 babies are born here in a typical year. PCMH currently has more than 6,600 employees.

About Working Mother Media

Founded in 1979, Working Mother magazine reaches 2 million readers and is the only national magazine for career-committed mothers. Its 22-year signature initiative, Working Mother 100 Best Companies, is the most important benchmark for work/life practices in corporate America. Working Mother is published by Working Mother Media, which was founded in 2001. Working Mother Media includes the National Association for Female Executives (NAFE), Diversity Best Practices, the WorkLife Congress, the Multicultural Women’s Conference and Town Halls. Working Mother Media’s mission is to champion culture change. For more information, please visit http://www.workingmother.com.

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University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina includes Bertie Memorial Hospital, Chowan Hospital, Duplin General Hospital, Heritage Hospital, The Outer Banks Hospital, Pitt County Memorial Hospital, Roanoke-Chowan Hospital; University Home Health and Hospice; ViQuest; physician practices; and is affiliated with the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.