Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 5, 2007)
JANUARY 5, ÏW justputl» northwest Hospitals Under the Microscope Health care access becomes subject of national scrutiny by Heather Cassell hospital visit is rarely a welcome event, hut for queers it can he downright terrifying. Those not legally connected to their families often face the threat of separation from a partnei or child who is receiving care. This could soon begin to change. The Human Rights Campaign recently partnered with the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association to develop the first-ever Healthcare Equality Index. The survey is similar to HRC’s Corporate Equality Index, which has been measur ing corporations’ sexual minority policies and practices for seven years. Approximately 1,000 of the largest hospitals in the United States received surveys in November, questioning their queer patient care and employee policies. The survey deadline was Dec. 31, and survey results are expect ed out in the spring of 2007. “Many sectors in health care have come to recognize that there are health disparities experi enced by distinct populations,” said Joel Ginsberg, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. “The idea that LGBT people have unique health needs and experience specific health disparities is one that is now only becoming more generally understood by administrative health care.” With rhe rising awareness of queer health care needs, particularly related to gender identity, Ginsberg said it was a “natural idea” to rate hospitals to push sexual minority health care and industry workers’ needs further into public consciousness. One of the largest concerns for the queer community regarding health care is disclosure. “We face barriers to care which often have to do with fear of disclosure or having been treated insensi tively or being discriminated against or not know ing where you can go and be out and honest about who you are,” said Ellen Kahn, director of HRC’s Family Project. One of the goals of creating the Healthcare Equality Index is to break down the barriers so people can freely go to the hospital or their doctor without fear of being discriminated against for being honest about who they are. HRC president Joe Solmonese said the index will initiate a dialogue with U.S. hospitals about sexual minority health care issues and hosp.tai employees. This is being accomplished by meas uring the quality of queer patient care and employee policies at U.S. hospitals with more than 300 beds. The index cast a wide net among hospitals from rural, suburban and urban areas as well as university, private, public and religious affiliated institutions. Solmonese believes it’s important to know where hospitals stand in terms of progressive policy for their patients and the queer medical staff being entrusted with their care. “It’s...not just an impor tant collaboration for us, but an important collabo ration for the community," he said. The index won’t provide information about the quality of sexual minority health care and policies at specific hospitals in the initial publication of the results, but HRC hopes that, similar to the Corporate Equality Index, the information I! I 4 I*.-»- Providence Portland Providence | fatfand Medal Center Medical Center I"- i € Emergency 'b Emergency IX Main Hospital ^Main Providence Sessional Raza F \ 4 » Providence Health System, a Catholic hospital, vows to abide by core values of respect and compassion toward patients and visitors. gathered will provide a general overview of policies in the industry and provide an incentive for more hospitals to participate. “We took an approach that is sort of a little bit softer,” said Kahn about initiating a relationship with hospitals. “We are trying to engage hospitals in a way that’s not putting them in a defensive position or feeling like something is coming out of the blue.” She hopes that this approach will lead to. positive responses through hospital participation. “I think what we’re looking at, at least initially out of the gate, is sort of the broader things: Are there policies in place.7 Are there general sort of protections for GLBT patients.7 What is the extent to which their discussion in training and education of staff.7 It is a baseline measure, and that’s definitely what it’s intended to be.” Out of the three hospitals in the Portland area—Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center, Oregon Health and Science University Hospital and Providence Health System— Providence, a Catholic hospital, was the only one to respond to Just Out. Lisa Godwin, senior public affairs coordinator for Providence, said in an e-mail, “Our employees are expected to honor and abide by our five core values of respect, compassion, justice, excellence and stewardship—as they relate to all patients and visitors.” She added that they have an active diversity program with committees that ensure implementation of policies such as domestic partnership for sexual minority employees and staff training to provide care that is sensitive and respectful of queer patients and their families. Other hospitals across the country are respond ing to the survey as well, even if they don’t have culturally specific training and policy in place. A report by the Williams Institute at UCLA released Dec. 1 stressed a need to monitor certain caregiving industries that systematically deny care to HIV-positive people in the Los Angeles County area. The study found professionals from skilled nursing facilities, obstetricians and cosmetic surgeons routinely denied care to HIV-positive clients. According to Ginsberg, hospitals’ participation in the survey relates to the bottom line. The Kaiser Family Foundation released the most recent estimate of national expenditures for health care at nearly $1.9 trillion in the United States in 2004- With an estimated million queer people living in the United States, Ginsberg pointed out, “It’s a very large piece of the economy, and to the extent that health care is acting in ways that, recognize the unique and legitimate needs of LGBT people, that’s a big part of society.” Survey designers expect the index to extend to other sectors of the health care industry. “It made sense to start with hospitals because we all have to deal with hospitals,” said Kahn, explaining a desire to expand the survey to sectors including long-term care facilities, nursing homes, hospices and community health clinics. Kahn added, “1 think that it would give us a good baseline measure of where we are right now.” © FOOTWISE WINTER SALE January 12-21 SAVE 20-50% on Selected Footwear Our Winter Sale will feature selections from: BIRKENSTOCK . NAOT J HAFLINGER BWûs Papillio Footprints’ TATRflir Simple The H ealthcare E quality I ndex survey is available online at www.hrc.org under the health heading. 1433 N.E. Broadway NE Portland 503.493.0070 730 SW 11th Ave San Francisco freelance journalist HEATHER CASSELL is an associate editor for Bay Area Reporter. She received her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from San Francisco State University. SW Portland 503.227.4202 between Yamhill and Morrison Hours: Monday-Saturday 10-6; Sun 11-5
