PBN Diversity Equity & Inclusion 2024 Awards
HEALTH CARE LARGE COMPANY: Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island
IMPROVING HEALTH OUTCOMES and the well-being for all Rhode Islanders is an everyday goal for Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island.
But to achieve that, according to Taila Brookshire – the Smithfield-based nonprofit health insurer’s chief diversity officer – the organization must recognize, understand and respect the individual differences of all people inside and out.
“Furthering diversity, equity and inclusion drives innovation and deepens our roots in the communities we serve,” Brookshire said.
Recognizing that a diverse workforce contributes to an inclusive and empathetic health care environment, Neighborhood has prioritized creating DEI-focused programs and partnerships, and made DEI central to organizational decisions, especially for staffing. The organization partners with organizations, including youth job training nonprofit Year Up, to provide internships and exposure to health care career opportunities for students from low- to moderate-income backgrounds; frequently participates in career fairs aimed at veterans and underrepresented candidates; and uses recruitment sites designed to ensure job postings are visible to a broad and diverse audience.
Neighborhood also prioritizes promoting from within, creating upward mobility for diverse talent and enhancing retention. The organization had an 88% retention rate in 2023. Additionally, attrition at Neighborhood dropped from 26% in 2022 to 16% in 2023, and the company saw a 38% increase in employee turnover.
Also, Neighborhood has seen a 41% increase in diversity hiring from 2019 through 2023, with the percentage of people of color in the workforce growing from 33% to 43% in that time.
To that end, Neighborhood has implemented mentoring programs, leadership workshops and cross-training to support employees’ professional growth and development.
Neighborhood understands and recognizes that individuals have varied learning preferences, Brookshire says, and the organization feels it is its responsibility to offer varied opportunities that support employees’ personal growth.
“To address this, we’ve implemented a broad range of initiatives, such as webinars, lunch and learns, community events, and on-demand learning through an educational platform to learn more about others’ experiences,” Brookshire said. “These offerings are augmented by the involvement in employee resource groups [today, there are 10], which currently engage about 30% of our workforce. These initiatives allow us to support individual development while fostering a strong, inclusive community within Neighborhood.”
The organization is continually evolving its DEI initiatives. For instance, the employee resource groups have recently expanded to include Disability in the Workplace and Faith in the Office groups. These groups have proven to be a way to connect employees at different levels and have helped not only to create a sense of belonging but also to inform business practices.
“Being able to learn from so many different perspectives to gain a better understanding has been beneficial to me personally,” said Rena Sheehan, Neighborhood’s vice president of clinical strategy and implementation who participates in the Faith in the Office employee resource group.
Neighborhood’s commitment to diversity extends beyond its staffing. While the organization has long committed to working with diverse vendors, Neighborhood will launch a supplier diversity program in 2025 that will expand the health insurer’s vendor partnerships and set measurable goals to assess its impact on equity. By diversifying its supply chain, Neighborhood aims to reflect the diversity of both its workforce and the communities it serves.
Also, Neighborhood is working in the community to remove barriers to health care through a DEI lens. Through the Health Equity Committee, Neighborhood identifies and addresses critical health issues in behavioral health, childhood obesity and maternal health.
The organization also collaborates with community health care centers, grassroots organizations and other health care partners to educate residents on available services and encourage lifestyle changes for health and well-being improvement.
“Partnering with the community health centers has been really important for learning what’s impacting members’ health and what solutions can we provide,” Sheehan said.
A notable aspect of Neighborhood’s DEI program is it holds itself accountable for its progress through comprehensive data analysis and transparent reporting. Metrics are shared from a scorecard that highlights DEI initiatives and progress across leadership development, hiring and workforce retention.
