South San Francisco, CA August 26, 2019 Submitted by Matt Skryja, Kaiser Permanente
For the tenth consecutive year, Kaiser Permanente’s hospitals have been recognized as an LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer civil rights organization.
The Healthcare Equality Index evaluates more than 1,600 health care facilities nationwide on their policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBTQ patients, visitors, and employees. Kaiser Permanente has participated in the HEI since 2008 and has consistently moved up in its rankings, achieving a perfect score in 2010 and every year since.
“This honor recognizes our longstanding commitment to LGBTQ person-centered care and achieving equitable health outcomes for our LGBTQ members, patients, and families,” said Ronald L. Copeland, MD, FACS, senior vice president and chief Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity officer for Kaiser Permanente. “We must continue to ensure that everywhere we deliver care, all patients feel welcome and are treated with empathy, dignity, and respect.”
For the past 13 years, Kaiser Permanente has also received a top score on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s annual Corporate Equality Index, which evaluates businesses on their LGBTQ-related policies and practices, including nondiscrimination workplace protections, employment benefits, competency programs, public engagement on LGBTQ equity, and responsible citizenship.
For more information about the 2019 Healthcare Equality Index, or to download a free copy of the report, visit hrc.org/hei.
About Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.3 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information go to https://about.kaiserpermanente.org/.