Yale New Haven Health hospitals among 251 healthcare providers nation-wide to receive the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” designation

New Haven, CT (March 30, 2022) –Yale New Haven Health’s delivery network hospitals- Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Lawrence+ Memorial Hospital, Westerly Hospital and Yale New Haven Hospital—have each 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). The 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.

“The hospitals that comprise Yale New Haven Health has re-defined what diversity and inclusion look like as we operationalized the integration of this work at all levels of the organization,” said Christopher O’Connor, CEO, Yale New Haven Heath. “We designed a strategic approach that touches all operations to create an environment of inclusion and respect. We value diversity so that all patients and loved ones, employees, volunteers and physicians will be empowered to share their unique differences and similarities with each other. Doing so significantly enriches the patient and employee experience, the quality of care we deliver and the communities we serve.”

“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,” said Tari Hanneman, director of Health & 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.”

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), one of the largest and most comprehensive healthcare systems in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org