RANCHO MIRAGE — For the seventh consecutive year,  the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC) has named Eisenhower Health an “LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader.”

The designation was awarded in the 12th edition of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), released Friday, Aug. 16. A record 680 health care facilities actively participated in the HEI 2019 survey, with HRC Foundation proactively researching key policies at 1,000 additional non-participating hospitals. Of those included in the HEI, 406 earned a “LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader” designation.

“At Eisenhower Health, we foster a work culture that supports diversity and inclusion, and that directly translates to a caring and compassionate environment for all of our patients, visitors, and staff. Recognition by the HRC for seven consecutive years proves that,” Martin Massiello, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Eisenhower Health, said in a prepared statement.

“The health care facilities that participate in HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index are making clear that they stand on the side of fairness and are committed to providing inclusive care to their LGBTQ patients,” HRC President Alphonso David said in a prepared statement. “Going beyond inclusive non-discrimination policies, these health care facilities are adopting best practices in the areas of LGBTQ patient care and support, employee policies and benefits, and LGBTQ patient and community engagement. We commend all of the HEI participants for their commitment to providing inclusive care for all.”

The 12th edition of the HEI assesses participants on four criteria: Non-Discrimination and Staff Training, Patient Services and Support, Employee Benefits and Policies, and Patient and Community Engagement.

In the 2019 report, an impressive 406 facilities earned HRC’s “LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader” designation, receiving the maximum score in each section and earning an overall score of 100. Another 148 facilities earned the “Top Performer” designation for scoring from 80 to 95 points. With 81% of participating facilities scoring 80 points or more, health care facilities are demonstrating concretely that they are going beyond the basics when it comes to adopting policies and practices in LGBTQ care.

The remarkable progress reflected in the 2019 HEI includes:

  • Over half of HEI participants now have written gender transition guidelines;
  • 75% of hospitals surveyed offer trans-inclusive benefits — an impressive eight percentage point increase over last year, and numbers that bring them on par with their corporate counterparts, as measured by HRC’s 2019 CEI;
  • A 35% increase in training hours recorded — clocking in at more than 94,000 hours of LGBTQ care training provided;
  • A 60% increase in the number of HEI participants whose electronic health records capture a patient’s sexual orientation, and a 40% increase in the number of HEI participants whose electronic health records capture a patient’s gender identity.

 

 

Image Sources

  • LGBTQ Healthcare: Shutterstock