Newswise — Seven hospitals within the Mount Sinai Health System have been recognized as national leaders in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2019 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). The HEI is a scoring system which rates hospitals and health care facilities on policies and best practices in LGBTQ patient-centered care in four areas: non-discrimination and staff trainingpatient services and supportemployee benefits and policies; and patient and community engagement.

This year, The Mount Sinai Hospital, Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai West, Mount Sinai Brooklyn, Mount Sinai Queens, and New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai were all selected to be given “LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader” designation in the 12th annual HEI report, receiving the maximum score in each section and earning an overall score of 100.

Mount Sinai Beth Israel was the first hospital in New York City to receive this honor, in 2010.

“This important designation is an incredible honor for Mount Sinai and continues to showcase our commitment for LGBTQ patients, visitors, and employees,” said Gary C. Butts, MD, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and Director, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Mount Sinai Health System. “We pride ourselves on being a health care system that ensures diversity and inclusion as an integral core institutional value.”

"Mount Sinai has created a diverse organization that understands the needs of the many communities we serve," said David L. Reich, MD, President and Chief Operating Officer, The Mount Sinai Hospital. "We are very proud of the work we do throughout our Health System to create a competent clinical environment, train and educate physicians committed to this goal, and mainstream health services for the LGBTQ community.”

“Mount Sinai has truly become an innovator in establishing an integrated system of care for LGBTQ patients with groundbreaking programs such as Mount Sinai’s Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery; the first fellowship in transgender surgery and psychiatry in the country; and a health care career pipeline program to offer LGBTQ high school students of color opportunities for mentorship and internships within the Mount Sinai Health System,” said Barbara E. Warren, PsyD, CPXP,  Director, LGBT Programs and Policies, Office for Diversity and Inclusion, Mount Sinai Health System. 

For more information about the Healthcare Equality Index 2019, or to download a free copy of the report, visit https://www.hrc.org/hei.


About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation. The Health System includes approximately 7,480 primary and specialty care physicians; 11 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 410 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of three medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 12 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 14 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Gynecology, Nephrology, Neurology/Neurosurgery, and Orthopedics in the 2019-2020 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked nationally in five out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology and the South Nassau Communities Hospital is ranked 35th nationally for Urology. Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's, Mount Sinai West, and South Nassau Communities Hospital are ranked regionally.

For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on FacebookTwitter and YouTube.