Healthcare organizations recognize the significance of Inclusion, Diversity, and Health Equity (IDHE) as essential strategies. Their goal is to ensure that the communities they serve receive attentive, well-represented, and compassionate care. Stanford Medicine Partners (SMP), a medical foundation established by Stanford University School of Medicine and Stanford Health Care (SHC), actively embraces diversity by fostering an inclusive culture that values professional fulfillment and respect. Its commitment extends to caring for the diverse population across the San Francisco Bay Area, where excellence serves as its standard of care.
“Together, we contribute to healing humanity through science and compassion, one patient at a time. We emphasize the importance of creating a clear roadmap and strategic plan to advance IDHE initiatives, setting a strong foundation for equitable healthcare,” shares Rochelle Noone, Vice President of Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion at Stanford Medicine Partners.
IDHE – A Strategic Priority
Stanford Medicine Partners (SMP) is the medical foundation for Stanford Medicine and is comprised of three medical groups with 40 locations and over 350 board-certified primary care and specialty care providers located across the San Francisco Bay Area communities. Stanford Medicine Partners was born out of the aspiration for Stanford Medicine and local, leading providers to partner together to bring high-quality care to patients within surrounding communities. Together, they are committed to delivering outstanding, leading-edge care to patients.
The Stanford healthcare system developed a Commission on Justice and Equity in 2021 to establish a foundation for addressing DEI in the community. Recommendations from that committee were Rochelle’s motivation to create a DEI Steering committee comprised of a varied group of leaders. She, along with her team, developed a strategic plan to begin focusing on advancing efforts on inclusion and belonging. The pillars of their strategy include:
- Integrating DEI throughout the organization
- Investing in our People
- Measuring for Accountability and Success
- Engaging Deeply Within the Communities We Serve
- Achieving a Diverse Organization with Just and Equitable Practices
A Focused Leader
With more than 20 years of leadership experience in healthcare, Rochelle has honed her expertise in organizational effectiveness, employee relations, and engagement. She earned her BA in Communications from the University of Memphis and her master’s degree in Human Resources and Organizational Development from the University of San Francisco. Rochelle is a certified executive coach and facilitator, and she also holds a Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion from the Yale School of Management.
Throughout her career in human resources, Rochelle has been driven by a commitment to fostering a workplace environment where individuals can thrive. She aims to be a steadfast advocate for employees, ensuring that their voices are heard, and concerns addressed. She prioritizes employee well-being and tries to lead by example.
Before joining SMP, Rochelle served as the Vice President of Human Resources at Planned Parenthood, where she spearheaded the development and execution of the organization’s strategic HR plan. Her initiatives fostered a cohesive organizational culture, and she facilitated workshops on Planned Parenthood’s diversity program, known as the Mind Sciences on Difference. Prior to her role at Planned Parenthood, Rochelle was the Director of Human Resources at Telecare Corporation, a behavioral healthcare organization. There, she oversaw generalist HR practices, devised employee engagement strategies, and led labor-management negotiations.
Rochelle’s expertise extends beyond the workplace. She has been a featured speaker at events such as the DEI Solutions Global Inclusion Forum in April 2021, Skillate’s Virtual Summit on Inclusion & Diversity in December 2020, and the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) Conference in March 2022. Currently, Rochelle serves as an Advisory Council Member at Cal State East Bay and is an active member of the Stanford Medicine Diversity Cabinet.”
An Agile Supportive Approach
As a servant leader, Rochelle’s focus is prioritizing the needs of her team, recognizing their unique strengths, and creating a sense of belonging. She looks beyond the day-to-day realities in order to help guide the team’s goals. She aims to create a positive, inclusive work environment that promotes personal and professional development.
Rochelle approaches new or unfamiliar challenges with a strategic and methodical mindset. She ensures that she understands the nature of the task, engages with subject matter experts and stakeholders as needed, and creates a plan. Feedback along the way is a crucial element, as she is always ready to pivot and adapt the plan as new challenges arise.
“My involvement with professional associations allows me to learn from other organizations and collaborate with my colleagues to ensure I am prepared for continuous growth. I work in a dynamic and ever-changing industry and the ability to be nimble, and pivot quickly is crucial,” says Rochelle.
Sailing Through Hurdles
Even when the strategies were in place, implementing the DEI initiatives has been a task filled with challenges. Rochelle shares how she overcame them:
1. Addressing Staff Fear and Representation: In response to staff apprehension about freely expressing themselves, the organization took a proactive step. Rochelle decided to conduct a DEI survey. The purpose was to gain deeper insights into the current organizational climate. While the survey data confirmed a diverse workforce, it also revealed a significant gap in leadership representation.
2. Sustaining DEI Efforts through Action: The leadership team expressed concerns about maintaining momentum in the DEI initiatives. Recognizing that employees expected tangible results, her team established a dedicated DEI department. This department’s role is to facilitate and drive efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the organization.
“Today, I can say that we have six Belonging & Engagement (ERG) groups that are thriving. We’ve created Core Equity Values, a DEI peer Recognition program, monthly celebrations, and conducted a second DEI survey. Our second DEI survey shows that we have moved the needle in a lot of areas. We now include a category for DEI on our annual performance evaluations and participate in the Stanford Medicine Diversity Cabinet, and Health Equity Council,” says Rochelle.
While a great deal of progress has been made, there are still many opportunities for improvement. She emphasizes that it is important not to lose momentum and ensure that the organization continues to prioritize these efforts.
Creating Inclusive Spaces
Rochelle and her team at SMP have created several trainings that are mandatory for leaders. These trainings are customized to address the specifics of working in a community healthcare environment. They continue to revise and update the training so that they can incorporate the learnings into future initiatives in the DEI space.
To measure the effectiveness and success of their training, they do frequent surveys. They also conduct focus groups and review the data in the HCM systems. These efforts help them understand the demographics, and what the needs are to help them with their path forward. At SMP, they will continue to promote diversity by implementing unbiased recruitment and selection processes, and regular training on inclusivity and belonging. They are always open to reviewing the policies to ensure they support diversity and inclusion and facilitate open and honest communication.
“Going forward, some potential goals and objectives will include a focus on recruitment and retention; making sure we hire the right talent, and diversifying our candidate pool. Engagement and well-being is also a strategic goal. We hope to increase our employee engagement scores, conduct bias and cultural competency training, and create an environment of wellbeing by focusing on the concept of a Just Culture,” concludes Rochelle.
A Quote to Live By:
“It is a common quote, but one that truly resonates with me; “if you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together”.
