SOUTHLAND : A Dearth of Hospital Management Diversity:

With a patient population that is increasingly more ethnically diverse, Southern California hospital leaders are recognizing that the people who run health care facilities should more closely reflect that diversity. But they have a long way to go. In a survey to be released today, Southern California hospitals reported that only 8.4% of hospital chief executives are African American, Asian American, Latino or Pacific Islander. Of 273 Southland hospitals, only three are headed by African Americans, five by Asians or Pacific Islanders and 15 by Latinos. Sixty-one hospital CEOs are women. The survey is being released by the Healthcare Assn. of Southern California and USC as they kick off the second year of their summer training program for minority students interested in health care careers.