PHILADELPHIA – Penn Medicine’s six hospitals have been named 2020 “LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leaders” by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization.
The designation was awarded in the 13th edition of the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), which was released this week. Evaluating more than 1,7000 healthcare facilities nationwide, the index is the national LGBTQ benchmarking tool that evaluates healthcare facilities' policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBTQ patients, visitors, and employees.
This year, healthcare institutions were given a score based on four criteria: foundational elements of LGBTQ patient-centered care, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement. In addition, participants needed to demonstrate that they offered transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits to their employees, in order to receive a score of 100 points and earn the foundation’s coveted “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” designation.
Based on this criteria, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Pennsylvania Hospital, and Princeton Health were each named “Leaders in Healthcare Equality.”
The Penn Medicine Program for LGBT Health was highlighted in the Healthcare Equality Index 2020 Report as an example of an externally-facing initiative specifically aimed at addressing the unique needs of LGBTQ patients. The health system was the first academic medical center in the Northeast — and among only a handful of medical centers in the country — to launch such a program across multiple professional schools and affiliated hospitals to improve the health of LGBTQ individuals. Since its inception in 2013, the Penn Medicine’s program has focused on promoting an LGBTQ-inclusive climate, providing professional development for LGBTQ employees, increasing LGBTQ participation in Penn research initiatives, and improving patient and family-centered care for LGBTQ patients.
With more than 3 million members and supporters nationwide, the Human Rights Campaign is the largest national LGBTQ civil rights organization. In addition to being a valuable tool and resource for health care organizations, the Healthcare Equality Index is used by LGBTQ patients and their families to find facilities that provide equitable and inclusive care.
For more information about the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and the 2020 Healthcare Equality Index, visit the Human Rights Campaign homepage.
Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.