HAN members Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals have launched the Diversity Equity Inclusion (DEI) Supplier Accelerator that aims to support local businesses owned by traditionally underrepresented entrepreneurs including minorities, women, veterans, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. The first cohort of five business owners will participate in a six-month training to expand the knowledge and impact of their businesses, including learning the sourcing process of large institutions and receive a $10,000 cash prize upon program completion.
From the article:
“As part of our commitment to the communities, it goes beyond just providing health care services,” said Andrea Kanter Jacobs, executive director of operations for the Clinic. “We promote both the physical health and the economic health of our neighborhoods, and supporting diverse vendors is really just one of the ways that we can continue to support our communities.”
It’s “critical” to support and sustain minority business enterprise (MBE) suppliers throughout the region, said Chad Fleischer, vice president of supply chain at UH. “It’s just a crazy environment with the labor force, inflation supply chain, right,” he said. “And we need to make sure that we’re taking care of all these local businesses as well. If we don’t have them, it’s harder to do things. And we really want them to thrive as well.”