Dignity Health and UCSF Health Reach Definitive Agreement
Saint Francis joins 495 health care providers nationwide earning the 'LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader' designation
SAN FRANCISCO (August 31, 2020) — Saint Francis Memorial Hospital is pleased to announce that it has earned a “LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader” designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). The designation was awarded in the 13th edition of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) released today.
“This honor is a testament to the dedication and teamwork of our nurses, staff, and physicians, who strive every day to deliver high quality, culturally-competent care to our patients,” said Kecia M. Kelly DNP, RN, FACHE, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Officer at Saint Francis Memorial Hospital and Chair of its Gender Institute Committee. “We are deeply committed to providing our LGBTQ community with the knowledgeable, compassionate and respectful care they deserve.”
Saint Francis Memorial Hospital has a decades-long history of serving the LGBTQ community in San Francisco, and formally launched its Gender Institute three years ago to support this rapidly-evolving area of medicine with best practices, training opportunities and policy development.
The Gender Institute’s multidisciplinary professionals provide a comprehensive continuum of care to Saint Francis LGBTQ patients and their families—creating a positive and supportive environment for patients to seek care and get referrals to related resources and services. Saint Francis also provides cultural training for its staff to ensure a welcoming and healing environment for persons of all gender identities.
“Every person seeking health care wants to be seen and respected for who they are, and I believe inclusion is the heart and soul of Saint Francis,” said Rev. Douglas Lubbers, M.Div., M.S., ACPE, BCC, Saint Francis’s Director of Mission Integration, CPE and Interpretive Services who spearheaded the HEI certification project. “Competent care for San Francisco’s LGBTQ community with respect and sensitivity to their unique needs is our history and our legacy.”
“Health care facilities participating in the HRC Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) are not only on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, they are also making it clear from their participation in the HEI that they stand on the side of fairness and are committed to providing inclusive care to their LGBTQ patients,” said Alphonso David, President of Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC).
Every year, the HEI invites health care organizations across the country to rate themselves on recognized criteria for inclusive, equitable care for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) patients and their families. HEI’s criteria also calls for health care facilities to offer LGBTQ competence training for staff, to have LGBTQ non-discrimination policies that cover both patients and employees, and to provide equal visitation for same-sex partners..
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About Saint Francis Memorial Hospital
Dignity Health Saint Francis Memorial Hospital is an accredited, not-for-profit community hospital that has been providing exceptional healthcare in San Francisco for more than 100 years. Located atop Nob Hill and adjacent to the Tenderloin District, Saint Francis is home to one of the City’s busiest emergency rooms, the Bothin Burn Center—the largest burn unit in Northern California—as well as the Saint Francis Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute, and the Gender Institute. With its close proximity to downtown San Francisco, Saint Francis also specializes in Occupational Health and Emergency Medicine. Saint Francis has been designated as a Blue Distinction Center for Spine and Hip/Knee Replacement Surgery and is a Certified Stroke Center by the Joint Commission. For more information, call (415) 353-6000 or visit DignityHealth.org/SaintFrancis.
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About Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the education arm of America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.
Publish date:
Monday, August 31, 2020