Los Angeles,
05
October
2019
|
08:00 AM
America/Los_Angeles

Cedars-Sinai Earns Top Score as LGBTQ Healthcare Leader

Cedars-Sinai achieved a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's 2019 Healthcare Equality Index. The top score means Cedars-Sinai has earned the designation of being a "Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality."

The Healthcare Equality Index is an annual survey that evaluates medical centers' policies and practices that focus on equitable and inclusive care of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer patients and their families. About 680 health institutions participated in the 2019 survey, the group's 12th annual review.

The perfect score Cedars-Sinai achieved this year reflects a 25-point increase from 2018.

"Cedars-Sinai is working to strengthen our diversity to create an inclusive and engaging environment and to become a leader among the nation's healthcare organizations," said Nicole Mitchell, director of Diversity and Inclusion at Cedars-Sinai. "Recognitions such as this are important to show our commitment to inclusive care that is sensitive, welcoming and free from discrimination regardless of one's LGBTQ status."

This year marked the third year that participating medical centers earned scores based on the number of LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices they have in place. Criteria include Patient Services and Support, Employee Benefits and Policies, and Patient and Community Engagement. Additionally, participants had to demonstrate that they offered transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits to their employees to earn the Human Rights Campaigns "Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality" designation.

"Embracing a strong diversity-and-inclusion strategy is not just a feel-good function for business," Mitchell said. "When human and financial resources are put behind this work and it's integrated into an organization's goals, you can see the true impact: higher retention, higher levels of employee engagement, broader attraction of top talent, better community image, stronger financial performance and more innovation."

Read more on the Cedars-Sinai blog: Supporting LGBTQ+Youth: Tips for Parents and Families