The Hospital Is One of 251 healthcare providers nationwide to receive the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” designation
A record number of healthcare facilities actively participated in the 2022 HEI analysis – 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 – with 251 of earning an “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” designation.
Categories where White Plains Hospital received perfect scores include its observance and implementation of non-discrimination practices for patients, visitors and employees. Those involve posting non-discrimination and equal visitation policies throughout its buildings, on its website and intranet, and in job applications. Hospital policies also contain inclusive language, such as “gender identity or expression.” The Hospital also provides staff with training in LGBTQ+ patient-centered care; in fact, several members of the Hospital’s executive team completed the Human Rights Campaign’s online training in such care.
White Plains Hospital also received a perfect score for its Patient Services and Support endeavors, ranging from providing LGBTQ+ clinical services and collecting sexual orientation and gender identity data in health records to providing training on LGBTQ+ inclusive medical decision-making options.
“Receiving this distinction is further proof of our dedication to creating an environment where all patients and staff feel welcome, supported and well-cared for, regardless of background or preference,” said Dean Akbar, White Plains Hospital’s Senior Director, Human Resources & Organizational Development and a key voice in the facility’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. “We will continue to work hard to be a leader in this area, among others.”
“Every person deserves to have access to quality healthcare, be respected and heard by their doctor, and feel safe in the facility where they are receiving care,” added Tari Hanneman, Director of Health & Aging at The Human Rights Campaign. “The Healthcare Equality Index, at its core, strives to ensure LGBTQ+ people are protected and affirmed by their healthcare providers and feel safe seeking services. Our HEI active participants are truly pioneering the healthcare industry by implementing robust, comprehensive LGBTQ+ inclusive policies that hopefully, because of their work, will become standard practice.”
About The Human Rights Campaign Foundation
The Human Rights Campaign Foundation is the educational arm of the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people. Through its programs, the HRC Foundation seeks to make transformational change in the everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people, shedding light on inequity and deepening the public’s understanding of LGBTQ+ issues, with a clear focus on advancing transgender and racial justice. Its work has transformed the landscape for more than 15 million workers, 11 million students, 1 million clients in the adoption and foster care system and so much more. The HRC Foundation provides direct consultation and technical assistance to institutions and communities, driving the advancement of inclusive policies and practices; it builds the capacity of future leaders and allies through fellowship and training programs; and forges partnerships with advocates in the U.S. and around the globe to increase its impact and shape the future of its work.
About White Plains Hospital
White Plains Hospital is a proud member of the Montefiore Health System, serving as its tertiary hub of advanced care in the Hudson Valley. The Hospital is a 292-bed not-for-profit healthcare organization with the primary mission of providing exceptional acute and preventive medical care to all people who live in, work in or visit Westchester County and its surrounding areas. Centers of Excellence include the Center for Cancer Care, The William & Sylvia Silberstein Neonatal & Maternity Center and The Ruth and Jerome A. Siegel Stroke Center. The Hospital’s Flanzer Emergency Department is the busiest in Westchester County, with more than 64,000 patient visits a year. White Plains Hospital performs lifesaving emergency and elective angioplasty in its Joan and Alan Herfort, MD, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory and Marie Promuto Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory. White Plains Hospital has outpatient medical facilities across Westchester, including multispecialty practices in Armonk, New Rochelle, Somers and Yorktown Heights; and Scarsdale Medical Group locations in Harrison and Scarsdale.
The Hospital is fully accredited by the Joint Commission and earned its recognition as a Top Performer for Key Quality Measures® in 2015 and 2013. The Hospital received Magnet® designation in 2012, 2016 and 2021 from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The Hospital earned a three-year accreditation from the National Accreditation Program for Rectal Cancer (NAPRC), one of 16 hospitals in the nation, and the Hospital's Bariatric Surgical Center is accredited as a Comprehensive Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP). White Plains Hospital has also received full accreditation for its breast cancer program from the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP®) recognized White Plains Hospital as a top 10% performing hospital for achieving meritorious outcomes for surgical patient care in 2019. In 2021, White Plains Hospital received the Outstanding Patient Experience Award from Healthgrades® for the sixth time and was the only Hospital in Westchester to be awarded with an “A” Safety Grade from the Leapfrog Group for the 6th consecutive time.
https://www.wphospital.org/about/affiliations-accreditations-awards