Fenway Health is honored to once again be named an LGBT Healthcare Equality Leader in the HRC’s annual Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). Leader status is awarded to healthcare facilities that attained a score of 100 in the HEI. This status is a reflection of Fenway’s commitment to providing culturally competent healthcare of the highest quality to everyone who walks through our doors.
The HEI 2017 LGBT Healthcare Equality Leaders are a select group of national healthcare facilities that meet the HRC’s Core Four criteria. Leaders have established patient non-discrimination policies and employee non-discrimination policies, uphold equal visitation for LGBT patients and their visitors, and require staff to receive training in LGBT patient-centered care. The HEI is a national LGBT benchmarking tool that evaluates healthcare facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBT patients, visitors and employees.
“Since the launch of the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index a decade ago, this benchmarking tool has helped transform hospitals and healthcare facilities into more welcoming and inclusive places for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer patients, visitors and employees,” said HRC President Chad Griffin in an official release. “This progress has been dramatically illustrated by the growing number of active participants in the HEI.”
“The 2017 HEI reminds us again that though we have made tremendous gains over the past decade, there is still much more work left for us to do. With some of our biggest battles still ahead of us, it is crucial that institutions continue to demonstrate that the march toward full equality is not slowing down. The 590 participants in this year’s HEI continue this march in partnership with the LGBTQ community,” Griffin said.