Wesley Healthcare and HCA Healthcare named a best employer for veterans by Military Times

Wichita, KS — Wesley Healthcare, as a part of HCA Healthcare, today announced that it has been recognized for the fourth consecutive year as a Best for Vets Employer by Military Times. This recognition highlights the efforts that HCA Healthcare makes to recruit, retain and support current and former service members, military spouses and military caregivers. Since 2012, HCA Healthcare has hired more than 60,000 veterans, active-duty and reserve personnel and military spouses.

The Military Times 2023 Best for Vets: Employers ranking is an editorially independent, highly respected analysis of the policies and practices that make companies an attractive place to work for both current employees and future job seekers within the military community. Rankings are based on the results of a voluntary survey which seeks to capture the areas of greatest importance to transitioning service members, veterans and their families when choosing an employer. Recruitment and employment practices, as well as retention and support programs, are given the most weight in scoring.

“Those in the military have a sense of duty, honor, courage and selflessness that inspires all of us. Their service has changed the course of history and we all enjoy our freedoms because of them,” stated Bill Voloch, president and CEO of Wesley Healthcare. “Our desire as a workplace of choice for our veteran colleagues is to provide ongoing support in the workplace and beyond, and we are a better organization as a result of their commitment.”

This year, HCA Healthcare has also earned the following distinctions for its efforts to support U.S. veteran and military communities:

• VIQTORY has recognized HCA Healthcare as a Military Friendly employer for 13 consecutive years. This year, HCA Healthcare has been upgraded to Gold distinction for its veteran hiring practices, programs and support initiatives.
• RecruitMilitary^® has recognized HCA Healthcare as a 2023 Champion for Military Hiring based on the pursuit of hiring excellence. In 2017, HCA Healthcare was awarded the Most Valuable Employer’s Award for demonstrating excellence in the recruitment, development and retention of military talent.
• Disabled American Veterans^® has recognized and awarded HCA Healthcare the Patriot Employer award for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to hiring and supporting military talent through employment policies, hiring practices and community outreach.

Year to date, HCA Healthcare has hired more than 6,000 veterans, active-duty and reserve personnel and military spouses. The organization also provides pathways for non-traditional military talent to find meaningful employment opportunities in healthcare through partnerships with Hiring Our Heroes, 50-Strong and local veteran service organizations across the country. HCA Healthcare also maintains a Veterans Colleague Network which helps promote community and purpose and has also been successful in helping recently transitioned veterans navigate the civilian workforce. For those who wish to continue serving, HCA Healthcare offers military leave and supplemental pay to eligible colleagues to serve as active duty military while working at HCA Healthcare.

As part of its commitment to supporting veterans, this year HCA Healthcare is giving:

• $50,000 to REBOOT Recovery, a national peer-led trauma healing program for veterans, their families and first responders, to assist in launching their updated comprehensive program. This will be HCA Healthcare’s eighth Veterans Day gift to the organization.
• $50,000 to the Gary Sinise Foundation to aid in the home build for a veteran who was wounded in the line of duty. To date, the foundation has completed over 85 specially adapted smart homes for severely wounded veterans and first responders.
• $25,000 to Operation Stand Down Tennessee, an organization that engages veterans early in their transition from military service to find meaningful employment, including showing them how to access available veteran benefits.
• $15,000 to A Soldier’s Child, a local nonprofit serving family members of fallen service members who died while serving in a time of conflict, for their mentorship and scholarship programs.
• $10,000 to CreatiVets, an organization dedicated to empowering veterans and their families to find healing from service-related trauma through art, including songwriting, visual arts, music and creative writing. This gift will assist with completing the development of their formulary in which music can be prescribed as therapy to find healing, empowerment and joy.

HCA Healthcare has a long history of supporting veterans and their families. In 2011, HCA Healthcare joined the Veteran Jobs Mission as an inaugural employer member, committed to the coalition’s goal of hiring 100,000 veterans by 2020. In 2012, HCA Healthcare joined the second cohort of the Department of Defense’s Military Spouse Employment Partnership in order to formalize its commitment to hiring military spouses. In 2013, HCA Healthcare joined the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Hiring Our Heroes national advisory councils on veteran and military spouse employment, and, in 2015, HCA Healthcare received the Lee Anderson Award for overall excellence in hiring and retaining veterans, transitioning service members and military spouses. In 2018, HCA Healthcare was an inaugural employer partner of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “Hiring 100,000 Military Spouses” campaign and has since hired more than 7,000 military spouses. In 2019, HCA Healthcare and the U.S. Army Medical Recruitment Brigade created the Patriot Partnership Program providing specialized education and training for physician residency and fellowship programs nationwide. In 2021, HCA Healthcare received the Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest recognition given by Employer Support of the National Guard and Reserves (ESGR).