Scripps Named ‘Best Employer for Workers Over 50' by AARP

Scripps Health is once again named as one of 50 Best Employer for Workers Over 50 nationwide, ranked by AARP.The award, now in its sixth year, honors employers showing a commitment to an aging workforce. This marks the third consecutive year Scripps has made the list and is the only San Diego employer and one of only two California employers on this year’s list.

Scripps is recognized for its flexible scheduling, including phased retirement and health benefits for those individuals considering retirement. Scripps also places great value on its long-service employees, recognizes such employees with more than a 200 percent match as part of its retirement savings plan.

Thirty-one percent of Scripps’ workforce is age 50 or older, and more than 12 percent of Scripps’ new hires last year were age 50 or older.

“Health care is all about the care, comfort and service our employees provide to our patients and their families,” said Vic Buzachero, Sr. Vice President for Human Resources.“By helping our employees through the various cycles of their life – early career, mid-career or late career – we allow them to grow within Scripps in a position that fits their specific needs and in the end our patients benefit through the care and compassion of our happy employees.”

In conjunction with its Best Employers search, AARP also announced Scripps as winner of the Bernard E. Nash Award for Innovation.Scripps received honors for exceptional training and development offered to its senior workforce. Among Scripps’ offerings is a nurse mentoring program at Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla that partners senior and younger nurses to foster a mutually-beneficial professional development opportunity.

“Scripps is firmly committed to being a great place to work for all employees,” says Scripps President and CEO Chris Van Gorder. “Our vision includes not only being the provider of choice for patients, but also the employer of choice for the community. It is an honor to be recognized for the work we have done to make Scripps a great place to work.”

Across the country, 60 percent of the winners in the search come from the healthcare sector, including hospitals, and 64 percent are either private, non-profit or not-for-profit organizations.

Scripps Health will be honored at a dinner in Chicago on September 21.A complete list of Best Employer winners will be featured in the November-December issue of AARP The Magazine.

Founded in 1924 by philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, Scripps Health is a $1.6 billion, non-profit, San Diego-based health care system. Scripps treats 478,000 patients annually through the dedication of more than 2,600 affiliated physicians and 10,500 employees across five hospital campuses, home health care services, and an ambulatory care network of clinics, physicians’ offices and outpatient centers throughout the San Diego region.