Two San Antonio medical facilities have been been named Healthcare Leaders in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2020 Healthcare Equality Index.
The facilities, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and VA South Texas Health Care System received perfect scores on HRC’s index. A third hospital, the Methodist Hospital located in the Medical Center, received a score of 40.
VA South Texas Health Care System
A total of 765 medical facilities across the nation participated in the survey with 495 receiving the HEI Healthcare Leader designation.
Eight facilities in Texas were rated with six receiving perfect scores. Besides the two in San Antonio, perfect scores were given to: the People’s Community in Austin; the RBJ Health Center in Austin; the VA Central Texas Health Care System in Temple; and the VA Michael E. DeBakey Medical Center in Houston.
Facilities were scored on four core criteria: Patient nondiscrimination; equal visitation; employment nondiscrimination; and training in LGBTQ patient-centered care.
Now in its 13th year, the key findings of this year’s study include:
- 92% of participants met the HEI’s training requirements, completing more than 150,000 hours of staff training in LGBTQ patient-centered care.
- 99% of HEI participants documented that they include both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in their patient non-discrimination policy.
- 99% of HEI participants documented that they include both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in their employment nondiscrimination policy.
- 53% of HEI participants indicated that their facility has a policy or policies that specifically outline procedures and practices aimed at eliminating bias and insensitivity, and ensuring appropriate, welcoming interactions with transgender patients.
- After many years of trailing their corporate counterparts in the provision of transgender-inclusive health care benefits for employees, HEI participating healthcare facilities are nearly on par with the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) participants as 80% have at least one health care plan that offered this benefit. The latest CEI noted 85% of participants having such benefits.
“The health care facilities participating in the HRC Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) are not only on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also making it clear from their participation in the HEI that they stand on the side of fairness and are committed to providing inclusive care to their LGBTQ patients,” HRC Foundation President Alphonso David said in a press release. “We commend all of the HEI participants for their commitment to providing inclusive care for all.”
