Cities and states across the country are taking the month of June to celebrate Pride for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual and other gender and sexual identities. WSHA wanted to take this opportunity to recognize several of our members who are providing exceptional care for LGBTQIA+ Washingtonians.
In 2020, eight Washington hospitals were recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as “LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leaders.” WSHA would like to extend our sincere appreciation to these members for their dedication to providing gender- and sexuality-affirming care to Washington residents:
- Jefferson Healthcare Hospital
- Valley Medical Center
- Harborview Medical Center
- Kaiser Permanente Seattle – Capitol Hill Campus
- UW Medical Center – Northwest
- University of Washington Medical Center
- Virginia Mason Medical Center
- Legacy Salmon Creek Medical Center
These members were recognized due to their assessment results from the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). The Human Rights Campaign offers the HEI to health care facilities as a national LGBTQ benchmarking tool to evaluate facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBTQ patients, visitors and employees. It also recognizes facilities for dedication to inclusive practices, such as establishing committees to review LGBTQ patient care, empowering patients to self-identify their gender identity and have this reflected in electronic health records and more.
LGBTQIA+ patients deserve to receive high-quality, equal health care. WSHA strongly encourages all our members to participate in HEI 2022. Participants will receive an internal snapshot of success areas as well as opportunities for being more inclusive in caring for LGBTQIA+ patients. On a local level, the Bree Collaborative offers a LGBTQ Health care Report and Recommendations.
If you’d like to learn more, WSHA is hosting an Introduction to Healthcare Equality Index webinar at 11 a.m., June 14. Register online now. Human Rights Campaign Director of the Health and Aging Program Tari Hanneman will join us as a guest presenter to provide an overview of the HEI and to answer audience questions. Jefferson Healthcare and Virginia Mason Hospital, two WSHA member hospitals who achieved Equality Leader distinction in the 2020 HEI report, will share their experiences and approaches for providing gender-affirming care.
WSHA is proud of our Washington State HEI Leaders from the HEI 2020 report and looks forward to supporting and encouraging others to participate in the HEI 2022!
