March is National Women’s History Month

Hospital system’s first female African-American Chief Medical Officer, other women lead health care in S.A.

(San Antonio, TX, March 14, 2018) - Women are making history in health care and in the community at Baptist Health System (BHS) San Antonio. Lynnette Watkins, M.D., M.B.A., is the health system’s first female African-American chief medical officer. She joins several prominent females already in top leadership positions at BHS.

Of those at the director level or above at BHS, 65.3 percent are female; 64.7 percent of those at the supervisor level and above are women. The chief nursing officer position, the highest position held by a nurse, for all six of Baptist Health System hospitals is held by a female. Four of the five chief operating officer positions for BHS are also held by women.

Dr. Watkins said women and minorities are making important contributions to the future of health care. “I am honored to serve in this role in which I can positively impact our system, patients and future leaders.”

Last month, Forbes released its list of the 250 “Best Employers for Diversity.” Baptist Health System (BHS) in San Antonio was one of only 23 hospitals/health systems to be recognized on the list. At BHS, 62.3 percent of all colleagues are considered minorities.

“Diversity is increasingly critical to succeeding in the delivery of high-quality patient-centered care, and BHS is leading the way,” Dr. Watkins said. “I’m proud to be a part of an organization that reflects our diverse constituents and their needs.”

Forbes worked with the research firm Statista to compile this year’s list. Statista surveyed 30,000 U.S. employers with 1,000 employees or more in August 2017, and asked questions about diversity, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age and disability. Other factors included the gender split of the companies’ management teams and boards, and whether a company proactively communicates about diversity. The company also looked at whether there were gaps in how diversity was perceived at the organizations.