East Tennessee Children’s Hospital Wins State Inclusive Employee Award

ETCH President and CEO Matt Schaefer displays the 2024 Employment First Inclusive Employer Award

Children’s Hospital received the 2024 Tennessee Employment First Inclusive Employer Award. This annual award recognizes businesses/employers that make efforts beyond legal requirements related to the recruitment, hiring, advancement and retention of people with disabilities in the state of Tennessee.

Children’s Hospital has participated in Tennessee’s Project SEARCH for ten years. Project SEARCH is a nationally acclaimed program designed to transition students with intellectual and developmental disabilities into employment through internships at local businesses. Each year, interns from this program spend nine months rotating to three different areas of the hospital, learning social and working skills that will enable them to obtain employment either at Children’s Hospital or in the community. At the end of the program, a graduation is held for the interns. This year, Mayor Glenn Jacobs attended as the guest speaker. Over the last 10 years, the hospital has offered training for 60 interns with a 90% placement rate. Several departments have employed interns from this program, such as engineering, environmental services, laundry, and food and nutrition services.