Mount Sinai Health System has received a top score of 100 and the designation of "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader" in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 15th anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). Mount Sinai's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-binary (LGB/TGNB) health services; LGBT Programs and Policies, a division of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI); its Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, and its educational LGB/TGNB organizations, workshops, and programs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Phillips School of Nursing at Mount Sinai Beth Israel helped contribute to receiving this honor.
"The genuine commitment of everyone and every part of our Mount Sinai community to implementing policies, programs, and best practices in serving our LGB/TGNB patients and their families, and in providing our students and employees with related education and resources in a climate committed to ensuring equity and inclusion, is what enables us to receive recognition for leadership in LGB/TGNB health. I look forward to continuing to work in collaboration with everyone to sustain and enhance these efforts," said Barbara Warren, PsyD, Senior Director for LGBT Programs and Policies in Mount Sinai's ODI.
Some of Mount Sinai's LGB/TGNB organizations and programs include the LGBT Employee Resource Group, which creates an atmosphere where all employees, faculty, and students feel they belong; the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, which delivers advanced care for transgender and non-binary people; and the Institute for Advanced Medicine, which provides primary care to a diverse community of patients. Primary care, specialty care, and hospital care at all of Mount Sinai's facilities are staffed with providers experienced in serving the LGB/TGNB community, and the Health System provides professional education and training, and information and referrals to outside programs and resources.
The HEI is the nation's No. 1 benchmarking survey of health care organizations on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors, and employees. A record 906 health care organizations participated in the 2022 HEI survey and 496 of those, including Mount Sinai Health System, earned an "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Equality Leader" designation.
The HEI evaluates and scores health care organizations on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars:
- Foundational Policies and Training in LGBTQ+ Patient-Centered Care
- LGBTQ+ Patient Services and Support
- Employee Benefits and Policies
- Patient and Community Engagement
"Every person deserves to have access to quality health care, be respected and heard by their doctor, and feel safe in the facility where they are receiving care. But LGBTQ+ people are often subject to discrimination in all spaces, including health care facilities, which leads to members of the community avoiding care and anticipating our voices will not be respected in an incredibly vulnerable environment," said Tari Hanneman, Director of Health and Aging at the Human Rights Campaign. "The Healthcare Equality Index, at its core, strives to ensure LGBTQ+ people are protected and affirmed by their health care providers and feel safe seeking services. Our HEI active participants are truly pioneering the health care industry by implementing robust, comprehensive LGBTQ+ inclusive policies that hopefully, because of their work, will become standard practice."
Over the years Mount Sinai has built a deep and ongoing commitment to patient- and employee-facing LGB/TGD-inclusive policies, affordable and accessible health services, and educational efforts through in-person and self-directed annual compliance, specific classes, and all-schools curricula content. Additionally, recruitment and retention of diverse employees across clinical, administrative, and support functions with opportunities for advancement and leadership have been an important focus for Mount Sinai to continue improvement in equality among employees and patients.
The progress reflected in this year's 2022 HEI includes:
- 93 percent of participants met the HEI's training requirements, completing more than 200,000 hours of staff training in LGBTQ+ patient-centered care.
- 82 percent of participating facilities earned either Leader or Top Performer status.
- 99 percent of HEI participants documented that they include both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" in their patient non-discrimination policy.
- 99 percent of HEI participants documented that they include both "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" in their employment nondiscrimination policy.
81 percent of HEI participants offer transgender-inclusive health care benefits to their employees, up from 75 percent in 2019, which was the first year they were required to obtain Leader status.
About the Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public's understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and, with the firm belief that we are stronger working together, it forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase our impact and shape the future of our work.
