Serving our LGBTQ+ Patients & Their Families
In order to make certain that we are serving the needs of our LGBTQ+ patients and families, in 2013 we established a multidisciplinary LGBTQ+ Task Force made up of doctors, nurses, and staff members from across our health system. Our team reflects the diversity of the communities we serve and share a dedication to ensuring that our LGBTQ+ patients and their families feel welcome and receive the highest quality care. Since our work began, we have revised policies and procedures and led education campaigns with our doctors, nurses and staff in order to ensure an inclusive environment.
Building Equality in Healthcare
We are dedicated to improving the health of the LGBTQ+ community. In order to achieve this, our top priorities are educating doctors, nurses and staff so they are better able to meet needs, partnering with the community, and building an inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ patients, their families and our own LGBTQ+ employees. A number of our doctors have self-identified their interest in treating LGBTQ+ patients by indicating “LGBTQ+ Health” as a clinical interest area. To learn more about them, please visit johnmuirhealth.com/findadoctor and search by Clinical Interest.
Our hospitals in Concord and Walnut Creek and our Behavioral Health Center were all recognized as “Leaders in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the country’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. Our facilities were three of a select group of health care facilities nationwide to have earned this distinction and each year, we strive to maintain this distinction. All three facilities provided LGBTQ+ health trainings to employees and implemented non-discrimination policies that demonstrate commitment to equitable, inclusive care for LGBTQ+ patients and their families.
We celebrate and build a welcoming environment for LGBTQ+ patients, families and employees
Providing top-quality care and an excellent patient experience to all patients who walk through our doors is at the core of what we do at John Muir Health. With our LGBTQ+ Task Force, we continue to examine ourselves, our policies and our procedures to ensure that we are specifically welcoming our LGBTQ+ patients and their families. This includes providing gender neutral or “All Gender” restrooms in many of our facilities.
Our Policy States
“John Muir Health prohibits discrimination against or harassment of any person regardless of age, race, ethnicity, religion, marital status, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.”
For support or information, please e-mail us at lgbtqtaskforce@johnmuirhealth.com
“At John Muir Health, we strive to cultivate a true culture of belonging, where every patient, employee, provider and community member feels safe and valued. As a community of caregivers, our journey towards belonging requires us to embrace all aspects of our differences. Our pursuit of health equity requires that we actively work to remove obstacles to healthcare access, including discrimination on the basis of gender identity, gender expression or sexual orientation, so that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible. We are committed to creating a system in which our LGBTQ+ patients and community receive the highest quality care in an inclusive and compassionate environment.”
Mike Thomas
John Muir Health President & CEO