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Johns Hopkins Plans To Award Jobs, Contracts To Residents

BALTIMORE (AP) -- The Johns Hopkins University and its Health System says it will increase its hiring from troubled Baltimore communities and award more construction contracts to local, minority- and women-owned businesses.

University President Ronald J. Daniels and Ronald R. Peterson, president of Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System, announced the initiative, called HopkinsLocal, Wednesday during a conference call.

Hopkins is the city's largest employer. Daniels says Hopkins hopes to increase the number of people hired from troubled communities for entry level positions from 26 percent to 40.

Peterson says Hopkins will increase spending on all construction projects, not just large projects, to local, minority- and women-owned businesses.

Hopkins says zip codes in Baltimore in which 10 percent or more of the resident live below the poverty level will be targeted for hiring.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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