Rancho hospital named an LGBTQ equality leader
DOWNEY — Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center received the designation of “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” for the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 15th anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), earning an exemplary evaluation score of 100.
HEI, the nation’s benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees, had a record 906 healthcare facilities who actively participated in the 2022 HEI survey.
“Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center actively supports our patients and staff who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning,” said Dr. Aries Limbaga, Chief Executive Officer of Rancho. “Our goal is to provide a safe and inclusive environment for our LGBTQ+ patients to heal and our LGBTQ+ staff to thrive. Our mission is to restore health, rebuild life, and revitalize hope for all persons with a life changing illness, injury, or disability.
“Our world class care respects the diversity of the communities we serve. Achieving this prestigious award as the leader in LGBTQ+ healthcare for the fourth consecutive year demonstrates our commitment to LGBTQ+ person-centered care, our continuous efforts toward compassionate, welcoming and equitable treatment and inclusion of patients, visitors and staff.”
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 the 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.
With 82% of participating facilities scoring 80 points or more, health care facilities are demonstrating concretely that they are going beyond the basics when it comes to adopting policies and practices in LGBTQ+ care.
The progress reflected in the 2022 HEI includes:
93% of participants met the HEI’s training requirements, completing more than 200,000 hours of staff training in LGBTQ+ patient-centered care.
82% of participating facilities earned either the Leader or Top Performer.
99% of HEI participants documented that they include both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” in their patient and employment non-discrimination policy.
81% of HEI participants offer transgender-inclusive healthcare benefits to their employees, up from 75% in 2019, which was the first year this it was required in order to obtain leader status in 2020.