Fenway Health is proud to announce that we have once again been named an LGBTQ+ 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, now celebrating its 15th anniversary, is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees. A record 906 healthcare facilities actively participated in the 2022 HEI survey.
“Fenway Health is honored to once again be recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader,” said Ellen LaPointe, CEO. “As an organization that has been committed to caring for the LGBTQIA+ community for more than 50 years, we are especially delighted to see that a record number of healthcare organizations from across the country are also being recognized by HRC for their commitment to LGBTQIA+ care. We are honored to stand with them.”
The HEI evaluates and scores healthcare facilities on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:
● Foundational Policies and Training in LGBTQ+ Patient-Centered Care;
● LGBTQ+ Patient Services and Support;
● Employee Benefits and Policies; and,
● Patient and Community Engagement.
In the 2022 report, an impressive 496 facilities earned HRC’s “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” designation, receiving the maximum score in each section and earning an overall score of 100. Another 251 facilities earned the “Top Performer” designation with scores between 80 and 95 points and at least partial credit in each section. With 82% 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 2022 HEI includes:
● 93% of participants met the HEI’s training requirements, completing more than 200,000 hours of staff training in LGBTQ+ patient-centered care.
● 82% of participating facilities earned either the Leader or Top Performer.
● 99% of HEI participants documented that they include both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in their patient non-discrimination policy.
● 99% of HEI participants documented that they include both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in their employment nondiscrimination policy.
● 81% of HEI participants offer transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits to their employees, up from 75% in 2019, which was the first year this it was required in order to obtain Leader status. 2020.