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In This Issue:
BWH LGBT Employee Affinity Group co-chairs Tina Gelsomino and Kevin Ard (third and fourth from left) are joined by the Center for Faculty Development and Diversity’s Ileana Jimenez-Garcia, Vivian Cooley-Collier, Audrey Haas, Angela Vail, Briana Campbell and Carol Nadelson, MD.
BWH has been named a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality in the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) 2011 report. The report, published by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, details the results of this year’s Healthcare Equality Index, an annual survey managed by the HRC Foundation.
BWH, now entering its third year of an active LGBT employee affinity group, earned top marks for its policies and practices related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients and their families.
“The affinity group is dedicated to working on education, advocacy and awareness issues for not only LGBT patients, but also staff, ” said Tina Gelsomino, MSW, LCSW, who recently was appointed co-chair of the affinity group with Kevin Ard, MD, MPH, a fellow in Infectious Disease.
Gelsomino, who is the administrative director for the Office of Women’s Careers, added that the approximately 140-member group is kicking off its “Be an Ally” campaign this week.
“We’re asking everyone, not just members of the LGBT community, to participate by wearing a small rainbow sticker on their ID badge,” she said. “We hope as many employees as possible will be allies. That way, when any LGBT person comes into the hospital, whether a patient, visitor, prospective employee or staff member, they’ll feel welcomed into a safe environment. Sometimes LGBT individuals feel uncertainty about how they’ll be received. Visibly showing our support can help ease those concerns and promote a healthier environment for all patients, visitors and employees.”
The HEI focuses on key policies and practices that lay the foundation for a welcoming environment for LGBT patients and families. These policies include patient and employment non-discrimination, visitation and cultural competency training for staff.
“Participating in the HEI has helped us translate our long-held values into action. At Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals, we dedicate ourselves to providing the highest-quality care in a supportive environment that embraces diversity and respects all people,” said Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA, chief operating officer for Faulkner Hospital, who previously served as senior vice president for Clinical Excellence at BWH. “We clarified the language in our policies to ensure our dedication to the dignity of all our families was clear, making our support of transgender people and all LGBT families explicit.”
BWH’s efforts in ensuring health care equality for LGBT patients and their families earned it the distinction of being among the 27 survey respondents to meet all applicable criteria.
If you are interested in participating in the “Be an Ally” program and would like a sticker for your ID badge, e-mail bwhlgbt@partners.org