LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) has been designated an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s (HRC) 2022 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), 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.
The HRC awards this designation only to hospitals and health care organizations that attain a perfect score on the survey, and this is the fourth consecutive time that CHLA has reached this achievement.
“The mission of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to create hope and build healthier futures for children is rooted in a foundation of equity, compassion and respect for all patients, their families and team members,” says Hanna Song, PhD, CHLA’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer. “As one of the nation’s top-ranked pediatric hospitals based in one of the most diverse cities in the world, our commitment to providing world-class care for all would not be possible without recognizing and affirming the diversity of identity, thought, background and experience of everyone who walks through our doors.”
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
- Patient and Community Engagement
The goal of the HEI is to ensure LGBTQ+ people—who have historically faced significant obstacles and impediments to equitable health care—are protected and affirmed by health care providers and that they feel safe seeking services, according to the HRC. A record 906 healthcare facilities actively participated in the 2022 HEI survey, including 37 pediatric hospitals; of those, 496 earned the highest designation. An additional 1,300+ facilities were proactively assessed by the HRC Foundation but did not participate directly. CHLA previously achieved Healthcare Equality Leader status in 2018, 2019 and 2020 (in 2021, the HRC Foundation moved to releasing HEI data every other year).
The full online HEI report is available to view here on the HRC Foundation website.
About Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Founded in 1901, Children's Hospital Los Angeles is the highest-ranked children’s hospital in California and fifth in the nation on the prestigious U.S. News & World Report Honor Roll of Best Children’s Hospitals. U.S. News ranks Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in all 10 specialty categories. Clinical care at the hospital is led by physicians who are faculty members of the Keck School of Medicine of USC through an affiliation dating from 1932. The hospital also operates the largest pediatric residency training program at a freestanding children’s hospital in the Western United States. The Saban Research Institute of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is home to all basic, translational, clinical and community research conducted at the hospital, allowing proven discoveries to quickly reach patients. Our mission: to create hope and build healthier futures. To learn more, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and Twitter, and visit our blog at CHLA.org/blog.
