Delaware’s hospitals have been recognized as leaders in health care by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.
Click here for a copy of the index.
The honor is given to institutions that meet benchmarks that are part of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), the HRC Foundation’s survey that encourages equal care for LGBT individuals by evaluating inclusive policies and practices related to LGBT patients, visitors and employees.
“It’s also a recognition that we embrace and nurture diversity and inclusion for our patients, their loved ones and the people who work at Christiana Care Health System,” said Bettina Tweardy Riveros, chief health equity officer at Christiana Care.
The honor reflects multiple initiatives to provide high-quality care for LGBT patients, said Rev. Timothy D. Rodden, director, Pastoral Services at Christiana Care.
“HEI provides a tool around which to organize and prioritize best practices as a hospital, including equal visitation rights, cultural competency education and inclusive employment activities,” Rodden said. “That also helps to enhance our focus on population health.”
Christiana Hospital and Wilmington Hospital were the first health care facilities in Delaware to earn HEI recognition. Due, in part, to Christiana Care’s partnership with the United Way of Delaware PRIDE Council’s LGBTQ Health Equity Task Force, all nine hospitals in the state committed to the program; eight of those facilities were able to complete the process and receive Leader designation, four of them for the first time.
Bayhealth Director Patient Advocacy, Service Excellence and Professional Recruitment Marianne Foard, said Bayhealth is committed to providing treatment to all patients, including LGBT because it’s the right thing to do. “This certification aligns perfectly with Bayhealth’s mission to improve the health status of all members of our community,” Foard said. “At Bayhealth, we strive to be kind and caring to all patients, families and visitors. Moreover, we treat everyone we encounter with kindness, dignity and the respect they deserve.”
A total of 496 healthcare facilities nationwide to be named. Facilities awarded this title met key criteria, including patient and employee non-discrimination policies that specifically mention sexual orientation and gender identity, a guarantee of equal visitation of same-sex partners and parents, and LGBT health education for key staff members.
The Delaware hospitals were pacesetters in the survey, with states with much larger populations not having as many honorees.
