Our commitment to women and families has brought Novant Health national recognition for the third year in a row. Working Mother magazine ranked Novant in the top "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers" list. In addition, Novant was the only healthcare organization mentioned in the state and was ranked one of the eight best healthcare organizations in the country. Novant was also named again to Carolina Parenting's list of North Carolina's "Top 40 Family-Friendly Employers" for 2002.

The "Best in Industry" citation ranks the best company to work for in seven of the most competitive industries. An achievement every employee can take pride in, this award will bolster the national acclaim of Novant Health and promote recruitment in all our service areas. According to Working Mother editors, "The best companies in the seven most competitive industries provide a way for others in the field to benchmark their own family-friendly programs."

Only seven other healthcare facilities ranked in the Top 100 and that list includes:

Novant was one of only five North Carolina companies that made the list, including Bank of America, Wachovia, SAS Institute in Cary and GlaxoSmithKline in Research Triangle Park.

The magazine's 2002 Top 100 list, featured in its October issue, was based on six criteria: percentage of women in the workforce, child care, leave for new parents, flexible work arrangements, work/life benefits such as elder care and adoption assistance, and opportunities for women to advance.

Editors looked at a range of supportive company offerings, including health insurance premiums, availability of time off to care for sick children, mentoring programs and extras such as on-site gyms and other amenities. Working Mother also focused on how well companies are providing benefits to workers at lower income and job levels.

Carolina Parenting's third annual list salutes workplaces that help employees balance the demands of work and family. The publication acknowledges the fact that work-life balance is not only good for families, but makes good business sense as well. Companies were selected based on programs like flexible work scheduling, snow-day childcare, adoption benefits and time off for attending school events and teacher conferences. Carolina Parenting Inc. published profiles of the Top 40 companies in its September issues of Piedmont Parent, Charlotte Parent and Carolina Parent (Triangle region) magazines.

We are extremely proud of Novant's continued national and statewide honors. We will continue to bring employees the best in family benefits and opportunities for women.