Adventist Health Howard Memorial Named Most Socially Responsible Hospital in the Nation

Adventist Health Howard Memorial is honored to be ranked #1 on the Lown Institute’s list of the country’s most socially responsible hospitals. The ranking is based on evidence-based assessments of health equity, value, and outcomes for which Adventist Health Howard Memorial earned straight “A” grades.

A national nonpartisan healthcare think tank, Lown analyzed nearly 3,600 hospitals in the nation, and only 66 (less than 2 percent) ranked among the most socially responsible, meaning they earned an “A” rating in at least three of the measurement categories. AHHM rose to the top for its best in the nation efforts on more than 50 metrics, including racial inclusivity of patients, employee pay equity, and avoidance of unnecessary and potentially harmful procedures, among others.

“While we do this work because of our community and for our community, it’s an honor to be recognized as the most socially responsible hospital in the nation,” says Judson Howe, president for Adventist Health North Coast Network. “In many of our hospitals, including Howard, we are our community’s safety net. We know our community depends on us and we take that responsibility to heart. Our facility was built almost 100 years ago, because our community recognized the need for a hospital. That deep connection to our community is something special and something that we value tremendously. That’s why we are always working hard to improve on these metrics and always finding ways to care for our community, beyond the four walls of our hospital to become long-term health partners for the communities we serve.”

The Lown Institute Hospitals Index for Social Responsibility was launched in 2020 to provide benchmarks for hospitals to measure how well they serve their patients and communities.

“Many of the top-level metrics used to assess social responsibility — equity, outcomes and value — are the things we focus on every day,” says Howe. “This recognition truly captures who we are and the work we do for our community. It’s all about neighbors helping neighbors, so we’re thrilled to be recognized for our efforts to provide responsible, quality care locally.”

AHHM tops the prestigious list which includes bigger hospitals in the nation, including Boston Medical Center, Duke Regional Hospital, Denver Health Medical Center and Banner-University Medical Center South, among others. AHHM was only one of three hospitals in California who made the Top 20 list. “Citizens put their lives and billions of tax dollars in the hands of America’s hospitals,” said Vikas Saini, MD, president of the Lown Institute. “We believe communities should have high expectations and the most socially responsible institutions should be lifted up as models for the system.”

The full list of hospitals recognized for social responsibility can be accessed through the Lown Institute at https://lownhospitalsindex.org/rankings/.