Sinai and Northwest Hospitals Earn LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer Designation
Baltimore "” (April 14, 2022) "” LifeBridge Health is proud to announce that Sinai Hospital and Northwest Hospital have received the designation of "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer" in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 15th anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI).
HEI is the nation's foremost benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees. A record 906 healthcare facilities actively participated in the 2022 HEI survey and 251 of those earned an "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer" designation.
"LifeBridge Health's strives to have an inclusive environment where we provide exceptional medical care and support to all people regardless of their race, ethnic background, age and sexual orientation," says Sybil Pentsil, M.D., M.P.H., chief diversity officer. "Therefore, we are extremely proud to have received this designation, which recognizes our success in achieving this with the LGBTQ+ community, and we look forward to continuing our work in this important area."
"Every person deserves to have access to quality healthcare, 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 healthcare facilities, which leads to members of the community avoiding care and anticipating our voices will not be respected in an incredibly vulnerable environment," says 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 healthcare providers and feel safe seeking services. Our HEI active participants are truly pioneering the healthcare industry by implementing robust, comprehensive LGBTQ+ inclusive policies that hopefully, because of their work, will become standard practice."
The HEI evaluates and scores healthcare facilities 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; and Patient and Community Engagement.
In its 2022 report, 496 facilities earned HRC's "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader'' designation,receiving the maximum score in each section and earning an overall score of 100. Another 251 facilities earned the "Top Performer" designation with scores between 80 to 95 points and at least partial credit in each section.
According to the HEI, with 82% of participating facilities scoring 80 points or more, healthcare facilities are demonstrating concretely that they are going beyond the basics when it comes to adopting policies and practices in LGBTQ+ care.
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.
About Sinai Hospital: Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, part of the LifeBridge Health system, is Maryland's largest community hospital and third largest teaching hospital. Founded in 1866 as the Hebrew Hospital and Asylum, Sinai Hospital is a nonprofit health care organization with a mission of providing high-quality, compassionate patient care. Medical specialties include cardiology, orthopedics, neurology and pediatrics. For more information, go to