HCA to Invest $10M in HBCUs, Hispanic-Serving Institutions

In a move to advance diversity in healthcare, the Nashville-based healthcare provider will allocate funds over the next three years to institutions in communities near its hospitals.

HCA Healthcare announced Thursday afternoon that it will be investing $10 million in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs).

In a move to advance diversity in healthcare, the Nashville-based healthcare provider, with 196 hospitals over 20 states and the United Kingdom, will allocate the funds over the next three years to institutions in communities near its hospitals to "create a more diverse pipeline of healthcare professionals and leaders," according to a company press release.

This announcement follows HCA's announced sales of hospitals to Piedmont Healthcare and AdventHealth earlier this month, marking a series of moves to increase the organization's financial flexibility for future investments and initiatives.

"HCA Healthcare serves diverse communities across the country, and we know our ability to continue to do that most effectively depends on a workforce that reflects the diversity of our communities," Sam Hazen, CEO of HCA Healthcare, said in a statement. "We are eager to build productive and collaborative relationships with many of the nation’s leading HBCUs and HSIs to attract Black and Hispanic/Latinx candidates into the many exciting career paths in healthcare."

As part of the new initiative, HCA will be offering opportunities for students who are interested in joining healthcare, including internship programs, investments in curriculum development, and scholarships for those students.

"Our partnerships with HBCUs and HSIs allow us to help bridge the gap in Black and Hispanic/Latinx representation in healthcare leadership positions, a challenge our industry faces as a whole," Sherri Neal, chief diversity officer of HCA Healthcare, said in a statement. "Advancing the diversity of our talent pool will ultimately help us to deliver more equitable, culturally competent care."