LGBT Care at Eisenhower Medical Center
Eisenhower Medical Center is committed to providing exceptional healthcare to every patient, including patients within the LGBT community. Our highly trained medical and nursing staff offers A+ care to each patient equally. The only difference we recognize is the one that sets us apart in our commitment to providing the highest quality patient care to every individual.
A Leader in Healthcare Equality
Members of the LGBT community can face significant barriers to securing adequate healthcare services, and Eisenhower Medical Center is proud to serve as a leader in eliminating those obstacles. For four years, we have been recognized among a select group of healthcare organizations as a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality in the Healthcare Equality Index, an annual survey conducted by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest LGBT organization. The Healthcare Equality Index measures more than 2,000 U.S. healthcare facilities’ policies and practices relating to the equitable treatment and inclusion of LGBT patients, visitors, and employees. Healthcare organizations awarded the Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality meet key criteria for inclusive care, including nondiscrimination policies for LGBT patients and employees, the guarantee of equal visitation for same-sex partners and parents, and LGBT health education for key staff.
“Our mission is to provide healthcare as it should be,” said Martin Massiello, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Eisenhower Medical Center, of the Human Rights Campaign award. “To be recognized as a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality for the fourth consecutive year means we are upholding [our] commitment not only to our patients and staff, but also to the LGBT community throughout the Coachella Valley.”
Chad Griffin, President of the Human Rights Campaign, specifically acknowledged the impact Eisenhower Medical Center has made in its commitment to inclusive healthcare services.
“Despite all the progress we’ve made, far too many LGBT people still lack inclusive and affirming healthcare,” Griffin said. “Leaders in LGBT Healthcare Equality are helping to change that, and in the process, [are] making the lives of LGBT patients and their families better each and every day. LGBT people have a right to be treated equally in all aspects of our lives, and HRC [the Human Rights Campaign] celebrates Eisenhower Medical Center for its work to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for all patients.”
LGBT-friendly Resources at Eisenhower Medical Center
At Eisenhower Medical Center, we ensure our staff is educated about LGBT needs by keeping all of our healthcare professionals up-to-date on LGBT care with webinars and symposiums. We deepen our clinical offerings to the LGBT community by seeking and hiring physicians who specialize in LGBT healthcare, including primary care physicians and specialists. Our LGBT-friendly environment includes such primary care services as HIV specialists and HIV testing, hormone therapy for transgender patients, medication adherence counseling, drug and alcohol counseling, and infusions. Our specialty services and treatments available to residents throughout the Coachella Valley’s LGBT community include gynecology, endocrinology, psychology, gastroenterology, neurology, liver/hepatology, oncology, lipid/lipodystrophy and anal dysplasia. Our growing list of LGBT-friendly practitioners is available at https://www.emc.org/health-services/lgbt-community-support/our-team/.
Effective communication with healthcare providers is an essential component of quality healthcare services. Eisenhower Medical Center has identified the most common concerns of LGBT healthcare patients and offers specific suggestions about issues that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals should discuss with any healthcare provider. The lists are available at https://www.emc.org/health-services/lgbt-community-support/important-questions-to-ask-your-healthcare-provider/.
A Proud Community Partner
Eisenhower Medical Center actively engages with organizations that support LGBT individuals. We participate with the LGBT Community Center of the Desert in Palm Springs, an organization dedicated to enriching the lives of LGBT people with safe and supportive health, wellness, educational, and social programs. We participate in LGBT-oriented events throughout the year in the Coachella Valley and regularly communicate with Equality California and other groups about LGBT healthcare needs.
A Future of Support
At Eisenhower Medical Center, we stand by our belief that high-quality, inclusive services available to all people and their families means practicing “healthcare as it should be.” We look forward to continuing to build relationships with the LGBT community and offer LGBT individuals the excellence in patient care for which we’re known. We hope you’ll contact us with any questions you have about LGBT healthcare and services.
Originally posted on 17/6/2016