HCA Healthcare named one of 2026 World’s Most Ethical Companies

Myrtle Beach, SC — Grand Strand Health, part of HCA Healthcare, announced that HCA Healthcare has been recognized as one of the 2026 World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere for its commitment to business integrity through strong ethics, compliance and governance practices. HCA Healthcare has now been recognized 16 times and is one of only four honorees in the Healthcare Providers and Services category this year. 

“This honor reflects our ongoing commitment to ethical practices, integrity and putting patients first,” said Mark Sims, Chief Executive Officer of Grand Strand Health. “Every day, our colleagues uphold the highest standards of care and accountability, building trust in the communities we serve.”

The World’s Most Ethical Companies assessment is grounded in Ethisphere’s proprietary Ethics Quotient, which requires companies to provide more than 240 documented proof points on practices that support ethics and compliance, including: corporate governance; program structure and resourcing; written standards; training, awareness and communication; risk assessment and auditing; investigations, enforcement, discipline and incentives; measurement of ethical culture; third-party risk management, and environmental and social impact. The data collected then undergoes further qualitative analysis by Ethisphere to determine the World’s Most Ethical Companies list. 

This process serves as an operating framework to capture and codify leading ethics and compliance practices from organizations across industries and from around the world. 

Grand Strand Health has a long history of investing in Horry County. In 2025, Grand Strand Health donated close to $125,000 to community organizations and events, with its colleagues spending more than 680 hours volunteering in the community. 

HCA Healthcare believes that being an ethical company means giving back to the communities it serves. In 2025, HCA Healthcare and the HCA Healthcare Foundation gave approximately $61.3 million to community organizations across the country. Additionally, HCA Healthcare colleagues logged approximately 354,000 hours of volunteering and gave more than $19.5 million to community organizations with HCA Healthcare matching. The HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, a 501(c)(3) public charity run by colleagues, for colleagues that provides emergency funds to colleagues when significant hardships arise, granted more than $9.5 million in assistance last year.   

HCA Healthcare is also a longstanding national partner of the American Red Cross, through its Annual Disaster Partner Giving Program (ADGP) that helps the organization have the infrastructure, resources and technology in place to provide care and comfort to those in need. Over the last decade, HCA Healthcare has contributed more than $15 million in funding to the American Red Cross to help people prevent, prepare for and recover from disasters. 

HCA Healthcare aims to help its colleagues thrive professionally and personally by providing them with benefits, resources and tools to help them succeed at work while supporting their overall wellbeing. This includes Optum Wellbeing, which provides colleagues and their families with free counseling, and Nurse Care, a free and confidential 24/7 helpline that connects nurses to a professional specifically trained in the unique needs of caregivers.  

In 2026, 138 honorees were recognized, spanning 17 countries and 40 industries. The full list of this year’s honorees can be found at the World's Most Ethical Companies website. HCA Healthcare is also a 2025 recipient of Ethisphere’s Compliance Leader Verification.