Modern Slavery Training Highlights Commitment to Ethical Recruitment Practices and Immigrant Safety

(Pictured Above (L to R): Andrew Lingo - Director of Ethical Recruitment and Workforce Sustainability, Rachel Harley - Consultancy Director of Slave-Free Alliance, Erica Ponchot - Director of International Recruitment & Programs, Donita Ross - ACNO, VP Health Carousel International, and Erik Schumann, COO)

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Cincinnati, OH (January 19, 2023) - Over two days, more than 100 staff of Health Carousel, LLC and Health Carousel International gathered for modern slavery training conducted by the Slave-Free Alliance (SFA). In total, staff from eight business departments received 130 combined hours of training. The training follows a thorough, three-month review of Health Carousel's business operations, culminating in membership in SFA in November 2022. SFA members trust the anti-modern slavery organization to be their critical friend and to deliver tailored services to make their operations and supply chains resilient to labor exploitation and to address issues safely.

(READ ALSO: Health Carousel Strengthens Commitment to Ethical Recruitment by Joining Slave-Free Alliance.)

Rachel Hartley, consultancy director of Slave-Free Alliance, was invited into Health Carousel's Cincinnati offices to conduct the training. Rachel, who heralds from the U.K., has years of experience helping global companies identify modern slavery risks within their business operations and how to resolve them. Her work has taken her all over the globe, where she has assessed risks of and identified modern slavery cases in industries ranging from textiles, agriculture, tech, automotive, healthcare, and banking.

The Health Carousel staff attending the training were engaged and appreciated the efforts to ensure the well-being of the global healthcare professionals they recruit and employ. In addition, many Health Carousel staff stated that the Slave-Free Alliance training affirmed that Health Carousel's practices and the work they perform on a daily basis aligned perfectly with the teachings in the training sessions.

"The upfront work we do to ensure the healthcare professionals we recruit fully understand our program, their obligations, and Health Carousel International's commitments are right on point," stated one recruitment team member in attendance. "The training made me feel good that our company is already doing the right thing, but also provided some good information regarding negative experiences the nurses we recruit may have previously had working in a foreign country through less trustworthy organizations."

"The training made me feel proud about all our work to ensure a safe U.S. arrival," stated a staff member on the Arrivals team. "The training pointed out the many ways immigrants to the USA can be vulnerable to acts of modern slavery. Our in-person arrival services and the ongoing follow-up post-arrival are incredibly important. Now when I go on a U.S. arrival, I more fully recognize that Health Carousel is not only getting them ready to start their U.S. work assignment, but we're also ensuring their security in the U.S. with safe housing, trusted banking relationships, and making connections between them and trusted colleagues at their work location and to other Health Carousel employees living in their area. I know all the work we do for a U.S. arrival is first class."

The second training day included the business' departments most involved with global healthcare professionals as they enter the USA to live and work. The employees attending this deep-dive training are focused on U.S. arrivals, function as on-assignment supervisors, or are members of the clinical nursing team. This training included reviews of scenarios representative of Health Carousel International's business operations in which modern slavery could occur. 

The importance of actively addressing and monitoring modern slavery in healthcare recruitment has never been greater as record numbers of healthcare professionals are being recruited and migrating across the globe. Developed nations have seen a 60% increase in foreign-educated healthcare professionals since 2010. This trend will continue as the global healthcare worker shortage has grown significantly, partly due to the pandemic.

"We are committed to ensuring our global healthcare professionals are treated equitably from the beginning of the recruitment process to throughout their work at our client healthcare facilities," stated Andrew Lingo, director of ethical recruitment and workforce sustainability for Health Carousel. "Even highly skilled healthcare professionals, such as our R.N.s, arriving in the U.S. on immigrant visas are vulnerable to becoming the victims of an act of modern slavery. Cultural and financial system differences make immigrants top targets of unscrupulous persons. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the Health Carousel staff to be well-trained in identifying and safeguarding them."

As a part of membership in Slave-Free Alliance, which is part of the pioneering global anti-slavery charity Hope for Justice, Health Carousel will take part in regular reviews of its recruitment partners and operations. Slave-Free Alliance will also run ongoing modern slavery awareness training for its employees to ensure they are equipped with the skills they need to spot the potential signs of modern slavery and know how to report them. Involvement in Slave-Free Alliance aligns with the Health Carousel Light the Way initiative, whose three social impact pillars include the ethical recruitment of healthcare professionals globally.

About Slave-Free Alliance

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Slave-Free Alliance offers flexible, affordable solutions to help organizations mitigate the risk of modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. Membership in Slave-Free Alliance is open to all businesses of any size. Industries represented globally include professional services, engineering, data analysis, I.T., utilities, energy, environmental services, manufacturing, agriculture, insurance, legal, pharmaceutical, property, recruitment, retail, transport, and waste management.

Businesses wishing to find out more about membership in Slave-Free Alliance can email info@slavefreealliance.org or visit www.slavefreealliance.org.

About Health Carousel, LLC and Health Carousel International

Health Carousel is a total talent management company with a leading portfolio of healthcare workforce and staffing solutions, including travel nursing, locum tenens, and international healthcare providers. Health Carousel is listed as the 17th largest and among the fastest-growing U.S. staffing firms by Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA). The organization has also been awarded numerous industry awards, including the Best of Staffing Diamond Award by ClearyRated. For more information, visit www.healthcarousel.com.

Health Carousel International, a Health Carousel, LLC division, provides PassportUSA, the leading program offering U.S. career opportunities for global nurses and allied healthcare professionals. In addition, Health Carousel International is a founding member of the American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment (AAIHR) and has received the status of Certified Ethical Recruiter from the Alliance for Ethical Recruitment Practices -- a nonprofit organization that promotes the fair, transparent recruitment of global healthcare workers for employment in the USA.

‍Media Contact:‍

Andrew Lingo
Director, Ethical Recruitment and Workforce Sustainability
Foundation Executive Director
513-904-6769
Andrew.Lingo@healthcarousel.com