Our commitment to social causes has long been an integral part of our corporate responsibility. We continually seek opportunities to provide high-quality care to patients and their families, maintain a high level of support and respect for valued employees and strive to make a positive impact on our local communities.

Corporate Recognition

UHS is respected in the healthcare industry, building an impressive record of achievement such as being named year after year to the Fortune World’s Most Admired Companies list and the Fortune 500 ranking.

Learn more about UHS awards and rankings →

Learn more about our Acute Care Division's quality awards/rankings →

Learn more about our Behavioral Health Division's quality awards/rankings →

High-Quality and Equitable Healthcare Services

Our facilities are designed to provide a safe and welcoming environment, with caring experts on hand to help each individual meet their specific needs.

During 2022, UHS’ Acute Care and Behavioral Health Divisions worked diligently preparing necessary plans and processes to meet The Joint Commission’s industrywide Health Equity Standards that came into effect January 1, 2023. The Divisions’ respective Clinical Quality teams created guidelines for their facilities and worked with dedicated personnel to improve current patient intake forms to better identify, and improve reporting of, inequities among patients. The individual clinical teams are developing resources, in coordination with those available in our local communities, to support equitable care for patients.

Our facilities are expected to follow the new guidelines and starting in 2023, provide updates to their respective Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Investing to Meet High Standards

Acute Care and Behavioral Health Quality and Clinical teams focus on staff training and incorporate evidence-based clinical outcome assessment metrics to effectively track and measure our performance and optimize clinical services.

  • To that end, all patient care staff within the Acute Care and Behavioral Health Divisions complete numerous trainings each year, including those related to our core tenets of quality care and safety.
  • UHS invests in employee surveys with the aim of improving clinical performance. Every other year, both Divisions implement surveys aimed at assessing the extent to which our facilities’ culture support patient safety and safe practices. The Clinical Quality teams use the results of these surveys to measure performance, identify areas for improvement and benchmark our facilities against industry averages.
  • UHS implements a corporation-wide biannual Employee Engagement Survey to provide leadership valuable employee insights, including perceived expectations and level of preparedness:

Community Outreach/Charitable Care

UHS is committed to being a valued partner with our local communities, not only as a trusted healthcare provider, but also by investing in community development projects, hosting community involvement activities and supporting local charities.

  • Combined, our U.S. Acute Care facilities’ contributions for qualified patients neared $2.3 billion in 2022.
  • UHS continued its long-standing partnership with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, helping individuals connect with support when they find themselves in crisis.
  • Facilities often joined forces with local chapters of other national organizations by sponsoring, hosting and/or participating in their awareness- and fundraising events — and leaders from across the corporation continue to support some of our partners by serving as Committee or Board members.
  • UHS resumed its long-standing alliance with the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House. Led by Assistant Director of Culinary/Nutrition who designed the menu and provided ingredients, select Corporate employees prepared and served dinner to families whose children are being treated at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
  • UHS regularly partners with several organizations that support active-duty military personnel and veterans, including participation in the annual Wreaths Across America event.
  • Other engagements include volunteer opportunities and in-kind donations, such as toy collections and food drives Throughout the year, both Acute Care and Behavioral Health facilities hosted in-person and virtual events encouraging healthy lifestyles as well as connecting families and friends to important health and wellness resources. Events included free health screenings, blood drives, educational classes and informational sessions on multiple physical and mental health diseases and conditions.

The Hughes Center partnered with the Danville Otterbots for creation of a sensory room at their baseball stadium creating inclusivity for their fan base. In Spring 2022, the Otterbots unveiled the new room that includes cuddle swings, fidget boards, soft LED lights, wall-to-wall padding, different textured rugs, sound-deadening headphones, comfortable chairs, sensory-friendly fidget toys and a blackout curtain.

“This sensory room provides opportunities for people with specialized, specific, sensory needs to have a place to go when they feel overwhelmed. During a game, it can be very stimulating and overwhelming and this presents a safe place for those people to go when they just need time to reset.”
Mark Howard, CEO, The Hughes Center


Workforce Demographics

UHS is extremely proud of the teams who work together to deliver high-quality services across the United States and United Kingdom. It is their expertise, hard work, dedication and collaboration that have allowed us to achieve a great number of successes this past year and laid the groundwork for many exciting opportunities in the future.

  • We are committed to the principle of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) for all employees and applicants. As an EEO Employer, UHS supports and fully commits to recruitment, selection, placement, promotion and compensation of all individuals without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), genetic information, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.
  • We value employees and are committed to all being treated with dignity and respect. These commitments are reflective in our policies and procedures as well as the results of our 2022 Employee Engagement Survey. Based on a rating of 1 (strongly disagree) and 5 (strongly agree), UHS earned favorable ratings in the following metrics:

Global Workforce

In 2022, the global workforce increased 5% to nearly 94,000. In the United States, nearly 24,200 employees were hired during 2022. Further, more than 6,060 employees were promoted.

U.S. Workforce

Female employees continue to make up the majority of the workforce at UHS and its facilities. We appreciate diversity in the workforce, which reflects the diversity of the communities we serve. Individuals who identify as white account for less than half of the workforce.

UHS US workforce demographic charts

Veteran Jobs Mission logoAs a founding member company of Veteran Jobs Mission, UHS is committed to reducing unemployment among U.S. military veterans. We continue to honor this commitment by increasing the number of military hires year over year. In 2022, UHS hired 1,815 veterans, up 20% over the previous year’s counts for the second year in a row. Among the veterans hired during 2022, 46% were female and 56% were ethnically diverse.

Learn more about our military program →

U.K. Workforce

Diversity is also shown in the makeup of the workforce in the U.K.:

UHS UK workforce demographic charts

 

Diversity, Equity And Inclusion

  • UHS’ commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) includes regularly monitoring employment practices to ensure equity, regardless of an employee’s gender, race or ethnicity and championing for inclusive behaviors through leadership example, policies and procedures, trainings and special events.
  • In 2022, UHS Corporate formed a DEI taskforce, chaired by the SVP, Human Resources. Meanwhile, there are facility-based committees designed to recognize and highlight multicultural backgrounds and other DEI-focused initiatives.
  • The George Washington University Hospital’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council (DIAC) is a multidisciplinary cross section of diverse employees, chaired by GW’s CEO. Its mission includes earning the GW Community’s trust; creating a culture of safety, celebration and acceptance where differences are valued; driving awareness and education on diversity, equity and inclusion; ensuring proportional representation of communities served exists within Hospital committees; and developing measurable goals for the Hospital that are impactful with sustainable change.
  • Within the Behavioral Health Division, St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute (SLBMI) has a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) Committee, whose mission is to “intentionally facilitate a culture of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, and to foster the process of continued growth through learning, identifying blind spots and implementing impactful change.” The Committee is open to all SLBMI employees and regularly disseminates DEI information to all staff. Its 2022 accomplishments included working with the facility’s Gender Affirming Program to create SLBMI’s Pronoun Policy and Procedures, updating its patient registration forms and incorporating issues of diversity in all clinical trainings.

Learn more about some DEI-related initiatives at our facilities: St. Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute's Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee →

Cygnet Health Care's Multicultural Network Strategy 2023-2025 Launch →

Recruitment And Retention

Through internal surveys, employees indicated that they appreciate and value many of the initiatives UHS recently added to address the headwinds of retention including: career ladders and progression, career development, engagement during the work day and ongoing recruitment and retention strategies.

  • By year end, we recorded a 22% decrease in Registered Nurse openings and a 31% decrease in Mental Health Technician openings.

We also listened carefully to employee feedback and took responsive action, including, but not limited to::

  • ✓ Strengthened our recruitment efforts;
  • ✓ Improved the overall hiring and onboarding experience;
  • ✓ Expanded the training resources employees need to do their jobs effectively and safely;
  • ✓ Facilitated more teamwork and collaboration; \
  • ✓ Established new Recharge Rooms at many of our Behavioral Health facilities for staff rejuvenation;
  • ✓ Expanded mentorship;
  • ✓ Launched the new Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and best of all, increased employee engagement.

Workforce Policies

UHS has a clear set of policies developed to reflect our Corporate Mission and Purpose and the high standards we have for employees. Employment policies identify resources available to staff and/or define the company’s internal process for various events (e.g., scheduled leave, performance reviews, grievance reporting). They are communicated and enforced to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all employees.

Employees have access to all policies either through their local HR department and/or internal intranet.

Employee Development And Training

In keeping with UHS’ culture of continuous improvement, training opportunities are available for all employees, regardless of level or status. These include formal instructor-led, in-person or virtual training, informal mentoring or networking opportunities, or self-administered online courses.

  • Training programs are designed to assist with personal and skill development, career advancement and succession planning. All trainings are tailored to include potential Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations.
  • During Orientation, new hires learn UHS’ Mission, Vision, Principles and Values, key policies and procedures as well as available benefits and resources.
  • Orientation also includes a two-hour overview of our founding principle, Service Excellence, including its
    • Attributes — continuous improvement, employee development, ethical and fair treatment of all, teamwork, compassion and innovation in service delivery — provides new hires a deep understanding of the company’s culture.
    • Standards — treating everyone as a guest, demonstrating professionalism and excellence and practicing teamwork — are shared to help guide the desired approach to day-to-day activities.
  • Service Excellence Facilitator Certification Workshops are available for facility employees identified by their leadership for consistently upholding and demonstrating the UHS Service Excellence Standards. During 2022, 15 multi-session virtual workshops were held, allowing 130 employees to become certified Service Excellence Facilitators.

During 2022, 15 multi-session virtual workshops were held, allowing 130 employees to become certified Service Excellence Facilitators.


  • The Learning and Development team offers three tracks: Invest in U, Manage U and Develop U:
    • Invest in U is designed to refresh, remind, and provide learning opportunities that help to enhance one’s skills and knowledge for all staff.
    • The Manage U track provides leadership skills designed for supervisors and managers.
    • The Develop U track contains specialty programs focused on employee and team development.

Graduate Medical Educational Programs

We have been steadily growing the UHS Graduate Medical Education (GME) Program since 2018. Its goals include developing excellence in graduate medical education and creating a reliable pipeline of newly trained doctors and pharmacists to join our network of healthcare professionals and ultimately improving access to healthcare in our valued communities.

  • In 2022, 18 UHS Sponsored GME Programs operated out of the following UHS Acute Care hospitals/ health systems. Of them, 17 are accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Further, both of our Pharmacy Residency Programs are accredited by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP).
  • In 2022, UHS Sponsored GME Programs continued to offer specialties/sub-specialties in Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pharmacy and Transitional Year programs, while adding Cardiology, OB/GYN, Pulmonary and Sports Medicine.
  • In July 2022, a total of 316 residents – representing an increase of 20% over the previous year – participated in UHS Sponsored GME Programs.
  • In 2022, The George Washington University Hospital, Northwest Texas Healthcare System and Valley Hospital Medical Center collectively offered 50 Academic Partnership GME Programs. More than 590 residents and fellows participated.

Learn more about our Graduate Medical Education (GME) program →

Other Professional Development Programs

  • Across the company we offer educational and work opportunities, including internships, externships, and clinical field placement opportunities. We also continued efforts to expand the Strategic Partnerships with Nursing program with other medical technology schools.
  • UHS also supports employees’ professional development through financial assistance programs. Our facilities also offer student loan repayment to engage recent graduates in the workforce, as well as support the pursuit of continuing education.
  • For our 2022 Summer Internship Program, UHS successfully recruited and onboarded 44 interns, a 43% increase over the previous year. Of the 32 Information Services (IS) interns, 43% identified as diverse.
  • On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest), 71% of interns rated their overall experience a score of 9 or 10, and all reported they would recommend UHS to other students for an internship. Further, of the 35 IS or Supply Chain interns expecting to graduate college between August 2022 and May 2023, we extended 16 offers, 15 of which were accepted.

Employee Benefits

UHS’ non-pay benefit program seeks to attract top talent, yet also serves to retain and support current staff. Its well-rounded “Benefits for Living Better” program addresses employees’ physical, mental, financial and professional needs.

Learn more about employee benefits →

UHS Foundation for Employees

The UHS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit entity that supports UHS employees who have been affected by hardship due to either qualified natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, fires) or a national public health emergency (e.g., the COVID-19 pandemic). Since it was established in 2005, the UHS Foundation has raised more than $2.9 million in support of impacted employees and their families.

Learn more about the UHS Foundation's Employee Assistance program →

Employee Engagement

  • On alternating years, through use of a third-party independent vendor, UHS’ Corporate Human Resources deploys either a comprehensive 50+ question Employment Engagement Survey or a brief 20-question Pulse Survey. To protect employees’ privacy, responses are kept confidential and results are shared as aggregate totals by department.
  • Our 2022 Employee Engagement Survey found 75% of survey respondents were engaged with the company and reportedly intend to be working here in 3 years. It also found that employees scored UHS Overall (Corporate, Acute Care, Behavioral Health and IPM collectively) highest in the categories of Job Fit, Teamwork, Safety, Management and Resiliency:

Note: Ratings based on scale of 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree).

  • TEAM C.A.R.E., the employee enrichment experience at our UHS Corporate Offices, brings inspiring events, content and programming for health/wellness, social/ community and career enrichment. This is designed to expand our employees’ professional network, help them meet new colleagues and offer opportunities to engage in rewarding activities.
  • TEAM C.A.R.E. events are initiated based on suggestions from employees and aim to support causes and/or organizations that are aligned with UHS’ Mission and Principles.

Employee Recognition And Awards

Corporate and facility leadership in the U.S. and U.K. regularly recognize employees for their dedication to the organization, and exceptional care bestowed to patients and their families through formal annual events as well as throughout the year.

Service Anniversary certificates and gifts are presented upon Corporate employees’ milestone work anniversaries. At the Corporate Office, employees are recognized for every five years of service.

Employee recognition awards are regularly presented at the facility level for those nominated by leadership or peers for exemplary performance.

To facilitate peer-to-peer recognition, Cygnet hosts a monthly Characters of Care Award while the UHS Corporate Office has a ‘Cheers for Peers’ program. Introduced in March 2022, this program enables employees to post a note or an image on our Corporate network to acknowledge colleagues who go “above and beyond.”


Our Recharge Room program is proving to be a meaningful way for Behavioral Health facilities to engage with, and show their appreciation for their staff. The number of facilities with these dedicated spaces designed to offer employees solace during their busy day, increased from 6 in 2021 to more than 50 by the end of 2022.


Privacy And Data Security

The Privacy and Data Security team’s mission is to preserve the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information assets in accordance with Information Security Policies for employees and patients. To this end, the focus remains on appropriately identifying, selecting, deploying, maintaining and improving information security controls based on the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework (CSF).

We comply with privacy and security policies, as well as several related federal and state laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Security Rule and the Payment Card Industry (PCI) requirements that govern compliant technology and processing of consumer credit card information. Our compliance with these requirements is reviewed by external parties.

We have approximately 48 privacy and security-related policies maintained at the Corporate level and locally by U.S. facilities. Additionally, we deploy numerous technologies and engage third parties to provide intelligence services to UHS.

Collectively, more than 45,000 hours of employee training are conducted each year, including mandatory annual data privacy and cybersecurity training for all employees.