Health Equity

The ZSFG Story

At ZSFG, we believe everyone should have a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Equity is different from equality: People with the greatest needs and fewest resources require more support to equalize opportunities and health outcomes.

Our goals are to address ongoing concerns about health disparities for San Francisco’s populations of color and create an anti-racism environment where all members of our community feel valued:

We are reviewing health outcomes to identify disparities and designing interventions to eliminate these inequities.
We are giving our staff the tools to build a culture of equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Current Examples of Health Differences

COVID-19 and its impact on the Latinx community

In San Francisco, there was a higher rate of COVID-19 infection, hospitalization, and death within the Latino/a/x and Black/African American communities.

15% of the population of San Francisco is Latino/a/x
50% of all Covid-19 cases in San Francisco are from the Latino/a/x population
70% of cases treated at ZSFG are Latino/a/x

Advancing Equity Strategic Plan

ZSFG’s Advancing Equity Strategic Plan focuses on three areas:

Reducing health disparities for our patients
Ensuring equitable experiences for our workforce
Advancing an overall culture of equity, inclusion, and anti-racism

The ZSFG Equity Council

In 2017, ZSFG established an Equity Council with hospital leaders, front-line staff, and clinicians to empower our community to eliminate inequities and promote inclusion.

The Equity Council advises and supports ZSFG’s Department of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) and the overall organization on DEI matters. As an influential and collective voice, the Equity Council holds ZSFG Executive Leadership and the ZSFG DEI Department accountable in leading the ZSFG community in dismantling institutional and structural racism and building a culture of equity, respect, and inclusion.

The Equity Council is led by Co-Chairs Gillian Otway and Tanvi Bhakta.

Equity Leads

Gillian Otway, RN

Acting Chief Nursing Officer
Equity Council Co-Chair

Tanvi Bhakta

Nursing Director
Equity Council Co-Chair

Sophia Lai

Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

Equity Council Members

Marissa Boeck

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Amanda Eckels

Critical Care Nurse H32/38, Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT)

Aladin Fagan

Porter Supervisor 1, Environmental Services

Nora Franco

Clinical Research Librarian, UCSF at ZSFG Library

Marissa Boeck

Assistant Professor of Surgery

William Huen

Associate Chief Medical Officer; Medical Director, Quality Management and Kaizen Promotion Office

Alonn Ilan

Nurse Manager, 4M and 4J Specialty Clinics

Vishal Kumar

Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiology in Interventional Radiology

Liseli Mulala

Transitions of Care Pharmacist

Jenson Wong

Director of Anesthesia Quality Improvement, Anesthesia

Jo Elias-Jackson

IS Business Analyst – Principal

Tanvi Bhakta

Nursing Director
Equity Council Co-Chair

Mel Molina

Assistant Professor, Emergency Medicine

Nichole Pettway

Program Manager, Social Medicine

Shilu Ramchand

Nurse Manager, NICU/Pediatrics

Erik Robinson

Inpatient Physical Therapy Supervisor, Rehabilitation

Joan Torres

Nurse Manager, Behavioral Emergency Response Team

Paul Urrutia

Healthcare Analyst, Performance Improvement

Mark Wilson

Professor and Chief, Radiology

We are implementing this strategy through the following initiatives:

1. Patient & Community Engagement

Building mechanisms for feedback from underserved patients and community members on equity and inclusion efforts.

2. Communications

Increasing external and internal communication regarding ZSFG’s DEI efforts and opportunities for staff to participate.

3. Workforce Equity

Reviewing and modifying hiring, promotion, and retention policies and practices to ensure equitable treatment and to build a workforce that reflects the patient population and community demographics.