Fox Hospital Recognized As Giving

Equal Care To LGBT Community

ONEONTA – Fox Hospital has been recognized as a “Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) civil rights organization.

The findings were part of HRC Foundation’s “Healthcare Equality Index 2016,” an annual survey that encourages equal care for LGBT Americans by evaluating inclusive policies and practices related to LGBT patients, visitors and employees.

Fox Hospital earned top marks in meeting non-discrimination and training criteria that demonstrate its commitment to equitable, inclusive care for LGBT patients, and their families, who can face significant challenges in securing the quality health care and respect they deserve.

The hospital is one of a select group of 496 healthcare facilities nationwide to be named “Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality.” Facilities awarded this title meet key criteria, including patient and employee non-discrimination policies that specifically mention sexual orientation and gender identity, a guarantee of equal visitation for same-sex partners and parents, and LGBT health education for key staff members.

The health equality leadership team is made up of Carolyn Wolf-Gould, MD, who practices gender and family medicine at Susquehanna Family Practice; Jennie Gliha, vice president of human resources and clinical services, and Stephen Sisselman, laboratory technical manager. The team began its work researching the index to ensure the hospital was meeting best practices in regards to LGBT health care and helped implement the requirements of the leadership designation.

Fox Hospital’s Gender Wellness Center out of Susquehanna Family Practice in Oneonta, now serves over 300 gender non-conforming and transgender patients. “We constantly hear stories from our patients about barriers to health care and discrimination in health care settings,” said Dr. Wolf-Gould. “… It was heartening that leadership at Fox and the Bassett Healthcare Network recognized the importance of this work and supported our efforts.”

Employees are also protected by anti-discrimination policies in place that allow them to live how they want to. Management realized that they needed to encourage the employees to speak their minds and not be worried about any consequences so they looked at possible employee morale survey questions they could ask to ensure everyone felt they were being treated fairly. The questions get asked regularly and allow management to see how their workers are feeling about their jobs and make changes that will benefit the company.

“LGBT people have a right to be treated equally in all aspects of our lives,” said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, “and HRC celebrates Fox Hospital for its work to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all patients.”