The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Once Again Named Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation

PHILADELPHIA, June 20, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- For the third year in a row, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) has been named an LGBT Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation. Coinciding with CHOP's celebration of LGBT Pride Month, the award recognizes the hospital for providing equitable, inclusive and culturally competent care for LGBT patients and their families.

"CHOP is such an incredibly diverse organization, and while LGBT Pride Month is an appropriate time to celebrate our diversity, we cannot ignore the human tragedy that unfolded last week in Orlando," said Madeline Bell, president and CEO of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "As we mourn those lost, we dedicate this award to them and to their families, and we renew our commitment to implementing policies, programming and resources that create a more ideal LGBT patient, family and employee experience at CHOP."

"This honor reflects CHOP's ongoing commitment to providing culturally competent healthcare to our LGBT patients and families," said Ina Lankenau, senior manager in the hospital's Enterprise Office of Diversity and Inclusion. "At CHOP, our diversity initiatives help us treat everyone equitably in all aspects of life. These initiatives include courses and workshops on equality and diversity; engagement efforts with our employees and the community; diversity recruitment efforts; and Diversity Councils."

Lankenau continued, "Diversity and inclusion are vital to our organizational identity. The diversity movement exists ultimately to facilitate and cultivate equity so that CHOP can fully provide culturally sensitive, compassionate care and services to our patients, families and employees who come to us from many different cultures and countries, and with many different backgrounds, experiences and expectations, whether they live in the United States or abroad."

"Despite all the progress we've made, far too many LGBT people still lack inclusive and affirming healthcare. Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality are helping to change that, and, in the process, making the lives of LGBT patients and their families better each and every day," said Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign. "LGBT people have a right to be treated equally in all aspects of our lives, and HRC celebrates The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for its work to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all patients."

Throughout the month of June, the hospital has celebrated its commitment to diversity and inclusion by spearheading various initiatives and activities for LGBT patients, families and staff, including:

• Staff Training: CHOP's Department of Patient and Family Services trains nearly 1,000 staff annually on LGBT competency, including SafeZone@CHOP Training, an institutional initiative on issues related to LGBT employees, patients and families, as well as tailored training endorsed by the HRC called Creating the Ideal LGBT Patient Experience at CHOP.
• Pride@CHOP: This employee resource group connects LGBT staff and represents CHOP at community events, such as the Trans Health Conference and the Philly Pride Parade and Festival. In 2016, the group received a CHOP Cares Community Grant to partner with the hospital's Violence Prevention Initiative and Gender and Sexuality Development Clinic to combat bullying.
• Transgender Issues: CHOP is the first pediatric hospital system to have a preferred name section for our transgender patients in the electronic health record and to have a job aid to help staff support our transgender patients and families.
• Diversity Councils: CHOP has two key councils that support the hospital's diversity and inclusion work. Staffed by the Enterprise Office of Diversity and Inclusion and chaired by the CEO, the Diversity Council serves as Madeline Bell's key advisory group about important topics related to diversity and inclusion. The Cultural Awareness Council develops diversity-focused internal events and feature stories.

For more information about the Healthcare Equality Index, please visit http://www.hrc.org/campaigns/healthcare-equality-index. For more information about diversity and inclusion at CHOP, please visit http://www.chop.edu/careers/employee-diversity-and-inclusion#.V1se3ssUVD8.

About The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 535-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

Contact: Emily DiTomo
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
267-426-6063
[email protected] 

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160620/381300LOGO 

SOURCE The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Related Links

http://www.chop.edu

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