HEI 2O11
OVERVIEW OF FINDINGS
Overview of Findings The Healthcare Equality Index is an annual survey of healthcare policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patients and their families. This report details the results of the 2011 survey, outlining the information provided by 87 survey respondents. Participation increased from 50 respondents in 2010 and, due to this increase, the number of rated facilities has more than doubled (178 facilities in 2010 to 375 in 2011). Thirty of the 87 survey respondents were rated for the first time this year. The complete list of HEI-rated facilities and their ratings is available as Appendix A on page 36. Respondents are rated on four key policy areas: patient non-discrimination, visitation, cultural competency training and employment non-discrimination. The HEI continues to serve as a roadmap for LGBT inclusion for many survey respondents. This is evident in the progress that has been made by returning survey respondents in updating their policies and practices to ensure LGBT patients and their families are welcomed, respected and given culturally competent care. Twenty-seven survey respondents achieved credit for all applicable rated criteria and are featured in this report as the HEI 2011 Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality — this is a significant increase from 12 respondents in 2010. (See the list of HEI 2011 Leaders on page 10.) Since last year’s survey, several respondents have updated their policies to protect patients from discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity. These facilities include HEI 2011 Leaders California Pacific Medical Center, The George Washington University Hospital, Howard University Hospital, Multnomah County Health Department, Park Nicollet Methodist Hospital, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center and UW Medicine. Notably, Emory Healthcare updated its patient and employment non-discrimination policies in addition to its visitation policy to fully protect the rights of LGBT patients and their families. Improvements have also been made in the area of employment protections by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Massachusetts General Hospital and University of Rochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital, all of which now have policies in place to protect all LGBT employees from discrimination. In addition to these improvements, leading HEI-rated facilities updated their visitation policies to ensure equal access for same-sex couples and same-sex parents. Among these are HEI 2011 Leaders Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Despite the progress made, there remains much room for improvement. More than 40 percent of respondents do not yet protect transgender patients from discrimination. Nearly half of respondents do not train all their personnel on LGBT cultural competency — and an even smaller percentage requires this training. Discrimination and barriers to care for LGBT patients and their families are still realities. As HEI 2011 Leader Chase Brexton Health Services notes in its testimonial, “In 2011, the need for dedicated safe spaces still exists. For LGBT and other individuals who do not follow socially sanctioned sexual and gender ideas, accessing healthcare can be a disturbing experience.” (See testimonial on page 69.)
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H E A LT H CA R E E Q UA L I T Y I N D E X 2 O 1 1
www.hrc.org/hei