Nana Duffy, MD
Associate Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
At Rochester Regional Health, diversity, equity, and inclusion are woven into the tapestry of our culture and health equity is our true north. We’re committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where people from all backgrounds are included, valued, and respected.
We believe our workforce and patient care are directly connected- and that our diversity makes us smarter, stronger, and better able to serve our community compassionately and effectively.
Associate Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion System Director
Our work is underpinned by four focus areas or pillars. Our pillars are patients, employees, community, and data.
At Rochester Regional Health, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is focused on delivering high-quality patient outcomes and experiences for all patients and visitors, we advance the delivery of health equity by aligning RRH’s missions, visions, and values, creating opportunities for collaborations and partnerships to address social determinants of health, mitigating unconscious bias and eliminating discrimination, and launching Employee Task Forces.
Our first pillar–or focus area–is the patient pillar. By focusing directly on our patients, we recognize how incredibly diverse our patient population is, and how important it is for us to use our patients’ perspectives to improve care.
We want our patients to be partners in their health care. Everyone who walks through our doors should feel empowered to share decision-making with their medical team, and build patient-provider trust. Collaborative patient-provider relationships are essential for getting the best possible care.
We’re also focused on providing care that is inclusive of patients’ religious and cultural perspectives. It is our pleasure to advocate on your behalf, support you, and work with you. We are always looking for ways to create relationships and build trust with our patients–to be partners in your health care.
As the largest health system in Western NY, we proudly employ more than 19,000 people and are focused on building a diverse workforce of motivated employees who provide the most effective patient-centered care.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team work with leaders across our system to expand education to help our teams better understand and reduce unconscious bias and recognize and address micro-aggressions. Our team provides cultural and identity awareness education and creates additional opportunities through initiatives and campaigns.
Our Rochester Regional Health Employee Retention Groups (ERGs) are employee-led groups with a shared identity. These are beneficial for connections and support, leadership development, recruitment, and retention efforts, and to help raise awareness of workplace challenges. For more information on ERGs, please email [email protected].
We also participate in cross-system collaboration with Human Resources to improve recruitment, build strategic partnerships, and access pipelines. The team is working tirelessly to develop a resource network for professional and personal community integration to attract and retain diverse talent to Rochester Regional Health and reflect the unique communities we serve.
Learn about our campaigns and initiatives
At Rochester Regional Health, we are committed to health equity–reducing and ultimately eliminating disparities in health and its determinants, including social determinants. Social factors like neighborhood, education, social supports, and access to healthcare are examples of social determinants.
At its core, health equity means striving for the highest possible standard of health for all people. That includes giving special attention to the needs of the people who need the most support, not just those who give us the most money.
Health equity predates COVID-19, but the pandemic shone a light on the importance of understanding and combating health disparities and social determinants of health–the factors that prevent everyone from living their healthiest lives.
Two of the keys to reducing health disparities and building health equity are community outreach and education. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion leadership team are committed to providing easy-to-digest information so that people can make the best decisions for themselves, their families, and their communities.
We know that to build trust, we need transparency, and that means acknowledging historical trauma and the lasting impacts on generations of families. Through continued community partnerships and engagement, our team will continue to hold conversations, educate, and remain focused on building health equity.
Our health is determined, in part, by access to social and economic opportunities; the resources and support available in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities; the quality of our schooling, the safety of our workplaces, the cleanliness of our water, food, and air; the nature of our social interactions and relationships.
Appreciating the impact social factors have on physical health helps us better determine our approach to ensure health equity among all our patients. We appreciate all suggestions, ideas, and solutions to further move the needle toward health equity.