Mount Sinai Health System hospitals have once again received the designation of "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader" in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 16th iteration of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), the nation's top benchmarking survey of health care organizations on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors, and employees.
The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai West, Mount Sinai Morningside, Mount Sinai Brooklyn, Mount Sinai Queens, New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, and Mount Sinai Beth Israel received the top score of 100 and were designated as LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leaders; Mount Sinai South Nassau was recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer.
"The genuine commitment of everyone and every part of our Mount Sinai community to implementing policies, programs, and best practices in serving our LGBTQ+ 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 LGBTQ+ health," said Barbara Warren, PsyD, Senior Director for LGBT Programs and Policies in Mount Sinai's Office for Diversity and Inclusion (ODI). "I look forward to continuing to work in collaboration with everyone to sustain and enhance these efforts."
In addition to LGBTQ+ programs and policies, Mount Sinai's lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-binary health services, the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, the Institute for Advanced Medicine, and educational LGBTQ+ organizations, workshops, and programs at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and the Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing helped contribute to this recognition.
A record 1,065 health care organizations participated in the 2024 HEI survey and 384 of those earned an "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader" designation. The HEI evaluates and scores health care organizations on detailed criteria falling under four central pillars of LGBTQ+ patient-centered care, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and patient and community engagement.
"As anti-LGBTQ+ extremists look to strip away health care access at every turn, LGBTQ+ people and their loved ones are looking for health care providers to offer and champion fully inclusive services. The Healthcare Equality Index is helping people find facilities where welcoming policies and practices are the standard," said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign. "We know that LGBTQ+ people—especially our trans family—continue to face discrimination in the doctor's office. No one should have to put their health on the back burner for fear of mistreatment in a health care facility or by their doctor."
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.
