Our Commitment to the Community
Rochester Regional Health’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office launched in 2020 to build on and operationalize our unequivocal commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. By establishing and maintaining community partnerships, RRH is leading efforts to cultivate an equitable and inclusive environment and deliver high-quality patient outcomes and experiences. We are committed to ensuring that our teams and each patient we care for enjoys better, healthier lives.
Committees & Task Forces
Our committees, task forces, and data groups are focused on building and operationalizing our commitment to ensuring a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. Learn more about our three cornerstones–workplace culture, physician recruitment and retention, and community health disparities.
Education & Engagement
We are focused on building a diverse workforce that understands and practices cultural humility, and is motivated to provide the best patient centered care. As a result, we provide ongoing opportunities for cultural and social awareness and work at all levels across the health system to have open dialogue around various topics to foster inclusion.
Health Literacy
There are gaps in understanding health information throughout the U.S. and the world. That's why we've leveraged our experienced and diverse workforce to better explain and fill the gaps in health literacy across our communities. We know that together, we can overcome health care inconsistencies and ensure that everyone is receiving the care and attention they need.
Key Terms
- Cultural Humility: A humble and respectful attitude towards individuals of other cultures, realizing we cannot possibly know everything about other cultures so we approach learning as a lifelong goal and process.
- Culturally Responsive: A way of being, a mindset that affirms one's own culture while positively engaging with those whose cultures differ from their own. It takes into consideration the differences between cultures, viewing diversity as a benefit, and interacting knowledgeably and respectfully among a variety of cultural groups.
- Diversity: Presence of individual and group/social differences.
- Equity: Creating opportunities for and giving equal access to underrepresented groups.
- Inclusion: Active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity.
- Unconscious/Implicit Bias: Automatic preference or judgement in favor of or against a thing, person, place, or group.
The council commended RRH DEI initiatives to reduce healthcare disparities in underserved communities; recruit and retain a diverse workforce; and implement Community Conversations surrounding COVID-19. RRH’s active pursuit of diversity in our work environment and community programs makes it a “perfect” award recipient, the council stated. The HealthCare Diversity Council is an organization devoted to promoting an inclusive environment of care at medical institutions nationwide. RRH received the award at the council’s National Healthcare DEI Conference.