Colleagues Who Inspire: Dorely Roldan

Hartford HealthCare President & CEO Jeff Flaks introduces us to some of the key players in a variety of roles who are helping to shape the future of healthcare. 

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Transcript

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SPEAKER_00 0:02

And Colleagues Who Inspire, we shine a light on the incredible people shaping the future of healthcare. I'm Jeff Flax, and in each episode, we'll sit down with the extraordinary colleagues who bring passion, innovation, and care to everything they do. From the front lines to behind the scenes, these are the stories of resilience, breakthroughs, and what it truly means to make a difference. So whether you're in the field, in the office, or just looking for a dose of inspiration, this is your space to celebrate the journey of our remarkable colleagues in healthcare together. Let's get started. We bring different people every week. They come forward and tell their stories. Today I have an incredible person. So Dorelli Raldan is like the one of the most perfect examples, has an unbelievable backstory. She's from an incredible family. She does the most amazing work today in terms of leading community health in Hartford for the Hartford region at Hartford Hospital. But let me invite Jarelli up. Dorelli, I want you please to come forward, join us. And what I've asked Dorelli to do today, and I'll give you some questions as well, but just Drelly, for you to share your story, because you came here at age 19, uh, grew up in Hartford, went to Weaver High School, uh, grew up in the north end and then moved to the south end. You first worked in environmental services. So let me start there. Tell us a little about your journey and what you've done, both kind of within the organization and how your life evolved here.

SPEAKER_01 1:35

Good morning, buenos días. My name is Darelli Roldan. I am the manager of community health and engagement. My story started at an environmental services. So if you're here and start you're starting as environmental services, your story can be like mine, if not better than mine. I started at 19. I came in, I said, I'm gonna take this job and I'm gonna figure out life. Because at 19, you're an adult, you know what you're doing, and you know where you're going. I had no idea. Um, so I took on the role as an environmental service aide and did that for six months. Um, and my manager at the time, who still works for Hartford Healthcare at Hartford Hospital, her name is Suzanne Yacel, came to me and said, You're doing great. We love what you do, but we have a position as a patient administrative associate that you would do great in because as an environmental service aide, you are flexible, you are what we need. You are doing scheduling. You are there's so much that you're doing, and I can see you doing that somewhere else. So I became a patient administrative associate six months later, and I did that for about three years, um, and it was at first very I was taken back because we had 16 heart monitors. I had no background in medical, none whatsoever. Again, I came in from like doing retail to come into medical, so I'm like, okay, I'll take it on, but I am scared because people's lives are in my hands, and I'm not a nurse in my head. So I did that, I took on, did it with flying colors. They they were very impressed, so I said, okay, 16 monitors, I can do this, and then I became a lead patient administrative associate, and what that means is I taught whoever came on how to be a secretary on a unit. And being a secretary on Blist 8, it's one of our biggest units at Hartford Hospital. It's 42 beds, you're watching 42 patients, plus the 16 heart monitors, plus back then, oh my god, we still were transcribing. So when I came on, I literally did a paper advocation. When you came on, you did it online, right? The way that we have transformed and been innovative and have moved has really created me to be more innovative and have given me the tools to be where I am to provide the services I am providing.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

And so Drill, you you've been here 20 years.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 4:14

And just to explain, you've gotten your education while you were here. Yes. Right, you got two degrees.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

So I got my associates in 2019 and my bachelor's in 2024. So last June I got my bachelor's in healthcare administration, and I'm going back for my master's.

SPEAKER_00 4:31

And you took part in the tuition reimbursement, the different programs we have.

SPEAKER_01 4:36

So, tuition reimbursement, let me tell you, take advantage of it. If you can, take advantage of it because it's something that you are being provided that Hartford Healthcare does not have to provide, and most institutions do not provide what we provide. I think it's $5,200 a year. Take advantage. That's free money. No one has it free. If it's free, it's for me. That's the way I look at it, right? So please let you know, and there are so many people here that can help you. If you need guidance, if you need help filling out the application, or just you know, someone to listen, because sometimes you just need to talk things through to really understand where you're going. There's so many ears here to really listen.

SPEAKER_00 5:21

So if you think about you, you come in, you're working in environmental services, Suzanne identifies that you have you know greater talent and opportunities, so she's working to promote you. Today, you're now a manager and you're running community-to-community health program right at Hartford. And just kind of when you think about that journey from who you were when you were 19, you now have two degrees managing that department with it with an expectation you're going to keep going with with another, you know, with master's degree, right, that you're going to pursue.

SPEAKER_01 5:52

What I can tell you is if so if someone sees something in you that you may not see for yourself, don't shy away from it. Do not shy away from it. Take it on, do it. Um, I was provided many projects that had nothing sometimes to do with what I was doing as my job, but I took them on because I wanted to learn. And in the realm of wanting to learn, I was able to grow. So after becoming a patient administrative associate, I became a community outreach educator, which I was teaching, uh doing community outreach for breast and cervical cancer for our early detection and prevention program for the Cancer Institute. I work 15 years in the Cancer Institute in like three or four different roles. Because there would be another role that will come and they'll be like, hey, we have this role, I think you'll be great at it. Can we transition you over? When your colleagues see something in you and they say, Hey, can you take on this task? Take it on. Because you're gonna gain something out of it.

SPEAKER_00 6:58

Absolutely, and to and to me, that's what's so inspiring. Um, you know, there's such opportunity in this organization. What would you say, Dorelli, just kind of in closing, if you were to give kind of closing advice, because you you're a veteran in this organization, and you've seen so many people, and you've had your own lived experience here. For people who are starting today, what's your kind of most core message?

SPEAKER_01 7:20

Become comfortable with your role, learn it, master it, take on new projects, find a mentor. My mentor happens to be here today. Her name is Mona, she's doing the recording back there. Um but and Mona and I became mentor mentee through the CRG. So you are able to do so much. Just find someone. I'm here. You you'll probably see me in the community, you may see me at the hospital. Um, but we're here, we're here to help you.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

Thank you. That's what it's all about. Riley, thank you so much for being here today. Thank you. Thank you.