As a private, non-state-owned teaching hospital adjacent to a predomin
ately low income African American community in Baltimore, the Universi
ty of Maryland Medical System (hereafter called the Medical System) in
partnership with the state's medical school has historically provided
excellent medical care to the community's residents regardless of the
ir ability to pay. Nevertheless, executive leadership recognized that
the Medical System needed to be even more socially and economically re
sponsible to the minority community by investing more of the system's
resources in that community. Doing so would improve the economic stren
gth of the community, and this strength would help the Medical System
to continue to thrive and expand its business in Baltimore City. There
fore, in the late 1980s, the Medical System created a program that foc
uses on greater inclusion of minorities, particularly African American
s, in personnel, construction, purchasing, and community outreach. In
the area of personnel, recruitment efforts have focused on increasing
the representation of minorities, particularly African Americans, in m
anagement and residency positions. The result has been the creation of
a more supportive environment for minority personnel throughout the o
rganization as well as for minority patients and vendors who have deal
ings with the medical system. In the area of construction, minority de
velopment efforts have included the establishment of a flexible bid-aw
ard policy and a partnership with the minority business community. As
a result, total construction dollars spent with minority-owned firms i
ncreased from $2 million to $18 million over seven years, and the port
ion of these dollars spent with African American-owned firms in crease
d sixfold. In the area of purchased goods and services, more creative
approaches to improving minority participation have been necessary. Th
ese have included partnering minority distributors with major supplier
s and literally assisting in the creation of new minority firms capabl
e of effectively responding to the competitive marketplace. As a resul
t, purchasing dollars spent with minority-owned firms increased from $
1.5 million $3.2 million in four years, and the portion of these dolla
rs spent with African American-owned firms nearly tripled. In communit
y outreach, a comprehensive program has emerged that includes educatio
n, career development, disease prevention, and health promotion activi
ties. The Medical System has encountered many barriers to success in t
hese efforts but fortunately has overcome many of them. This article o
utlines the methods the system has used to achieve its minority develo
pment goals, with particular emphasis on the difficult area of purchas
ing.