In recognition of "years of cultivating leadership, workplace diversity and inclusion," the Tennessee Hospital Association has bestowed Tom Ozburn, president and CEO of Parkridge Health System, with the Diversity Champion Award at the THA’s annual meeting.
The award recognizes Ozburn’s leadership and service to the communities in which he lives, officials said.
“I am deeply humbled by this award and consider it not only a recognition of my own work to create a diverse and inclusive workplace, but also a testament to the shared commitment of my hospital families where I have been fortunate to work,” Mr.
Ozburn said. “I am encouraged by the progress we have made, and I am more committed than ever to champion inclusion and diversity in the workplace and in Chattanooga.”
Throughout his career in healthcare leadership, Mr. Ozburn has been an ardent proponent of inclusion. Prior to joining Parkridge Health, Mr. Ozburn served as CEO of TriStar Southern Hills, which is located in one of Nashville’s most diverse immigrant and refugee communities. Recognizing the community needs, Mr. Ozburn launched a campaign to make the hospital more accessible by posting Spanish-language signage.
At TriStar Southern Hills and Parkridge Health, Mr. Ozburn has pushed for religious inclusivity, spearheading the formation of a spiritual life committee, growing the chaplaincy service to include offerings from many faiths and making spiritual materials from a multiplicity of faiths more readily available.
Mr. Ozburn has also been actively engaged in Men of Valor, a Nashville-based ministry that reaches out to incarcerated men to, as the organization’s mission statement articulates, “help them become the men, husbands, fathers and members of society that God created them to be.”
Mr. Ozburn also led the Tennessee Hospital Association’s Council on Inclusion and Health Equity from 2015 through 2017. He is a past board member for The United Way of Southern Kentucky; the Tennessee Christian Chamber of Commerce; YMCA; and Soles4Souls, a non-profit that creates sustainable jobs and distributes shoes and clothing to people in need around the world.