Saint Francis Hospital named most racially inclusive hospital in Delaware by Lown Institute

Wilmington, Del. — (October 5, 2023) — Saint Francis Hospital is pleased to announce that it has been recognized as Delaware’s 2023 Most Racially Inclusive Hospital by the Lown Institute, a nonprofit organization that evaluates and ranks U.S. hospitals based on a variety of factors related to social responsibility.

The Lown Index ranking for Social Responsibility is based on hospitals’ grades in Equity, Value and Outcomes. It is the first ranking to measure social responsibility of more than 3,600 U.S. hospitals nationwide and applies never-before-used metrics such as racial inclusivity, avoidance of overuse, and community benefit. The Index includes 53 metrics to provide a unique and holistic ranking of hospital performance, taking into account the full breadth of what hospitals do as care providers, employers, and community partners.

“Saint Francis Hospital has a rich history of serving the diverse communities of Wilmington for 99 years,” says James Woodward, president and CEO of Trinity Health Mid-Atlantic, of which Saint Francis Hospital is a member. “We take pride in how we have positively influenced the social influencers of health in our community through our Community Health Needs Assessment as well as serving as a major employer of diverse colleagues within our market.”

According to the Lown Institute, patient racial and ethnic demographics were examined to gauge how effectively hospitals target care to those populations. Racially inclusive hospitals served more patients of color than expected based on the demographics of their service area. Disparities in health care outcomes and access are well-documented within diverse communities, including higher rates of chronic conditions and lower rates of private health insurance.

“It’s refreshing to see that some hospitals make caring for those most in need their top priority,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “Inclusive hospitals show that it’s possible to serve everyone, even when it may be against their financial interest.”

Over the past year, Saint Francis Hospital has made great strides with the Healthy Village® at Saint Francis Hospital to meet community health needs, while also prioritizing whole life health care by promoting social influencers of health—helping patients and the community with food insecurities, education and social support.

To learn more about the Lown Hospital Index for Social Responsibility, visit LownHospitalsIndex.org.