News 5/16/24

Equitas Health once again earns HRC’s LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader Designation

Equitas Health has once again earned the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). The designation was awarded in the 16th iteration of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), released Monday.

A record 1,065 healthcare facilities actively participated in the HEI 2024 survey and scoring process. Equitas Health was among 384 participants to receive the top score of 100.

“LGBTQ+-inclusive healthcare is needed now more than ever,” said David Ernesto Munar, Chief Executive Officer at Equitas Health. “This prestigious designation is a reflection of our team’s dedication, perseverance, and shared vision of a welcoming healthcare home for everyone. We must continue to be a trusted resource for our communities and use our voice to advocate for equity in healthcare.”

Key highlights from the report include:

• 36% of 1,065 total participants earned the designation 2024 LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader.
• Targeted Health Disparities Reduction Plans: Encouragingly, 71% have an official plan for reducing health disparities that specifically includes LGBTQ+ patients in addition to race, ethnicity, and linguistic concerns.
• Work to Be Done: Only 27% have an externally promoted specific program to provide patient navigation or advocacy services to transgender patients.
• Bias Elimination and Welcoming Interactions: Just over half (53%) have a policy or policies that specifically outline procedures and practices aimed at eliminating bias and insensitivity, and ensuring appropriate, welcoming interactions with transgender patients.
• EHR SOGI Data: Major increases are seen in the number of healthcare facilities collecting sexual orientation and gender identity-related data in their Electronic Health Records systems. Seven of the eight relevant data points had double-digit increases.
• Pronouns in Electronic Health Records: The ability to collect and display a patient’s pronouns rose from 44% to 74%. This is an important tool to help prevent misgendering a patient.
• FMLA-Equivalent Benefits: 38% offer FMLA-equivalent benefits that allow employees to take family and medical leave to care for same-sex partners as well as the children of a same-sex partner, regardless of biological or adoptive status – this is up from 34% in 2022.
• Comprehensive Benefits for Domestic Partners: 41% provide medical and comprehensive health benefits to domestic partners of benefits-eligible employees up from 34% in 2022. This is the first increase in this measure since the 2015 Obergefell decision on same-sex marriage.
• Employee Resource Groups: 72% have an officially recognized LGBTQ+ employee resource group.
• Community Engagement and Support: 92% took part in or supported one or more LGBTQ+ related events or initiatives in their service area.

This year’s HEI comes as LGBTQ+ adults are twice as likely as non-LGBTQ+ adults to be “treated unfairly or with disrespect by a doctor or healthcare provider” in the last three years, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The impact of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation combined with a history of discrimination in healthcare settings has the potential to cause even more LGBTQ+ people to delay or avoid seeking healthcare, which makes the HEI even more salient for those looking to find LGBTQ+-inclusive care.

 

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