Council unveils 2024-2025 goals for supporting LGBTQ+ patients
Increasing awareness of the health care needs of patients who identify as LGBTQ+ and understanding how well Penn State Health supports them are 2024-2025 goals of the health system’s Sexual and Gender Minority Advisory Council.
The council is one of several diversity-focused groups reporting their accomplishments from the past fiscal year and outlining their next steps. The council was created in mid-2021 to promote nondiscrimination policies and create an equitable, inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ patients.
Planned efforts include:
- Conducting pulse surveys to determine if LGBTQ+ patients feel valued and respected at Penn State Health
- Seeking health needs assessments from LGBTQ+ community groups to understand their specific needs
- Evaluating the health system’s LGBTQ+ chaplaincy to determine the level of support provided
- Expanding education to clinicians about referral options for those seeking gender-affirming care
- Providing additional information to clinicians and other leaders to support LGBTQ+ patients effectively
Pronoun project achieves partial success
The council’s three objectives last year were:
- Add pronouns to patient electronic medical records
- Support families of transgender patients
- Address the health care needs of LGBTQ+ patients
To date, 72,907 patients have added their pronouns to the medical records system, while 11,262 chose not to, said Lynette Chappell-Williams, vice president and chief diversity officer. She presented the report’s findings to Deborah Addo, Penn State Health president and chief operating officer, and Steve Massini, CEO, this month.
“Although this was a crucial step in supporting patients from LGBTQ+ communities, we learned the related educational campaign should have been more robust,” said Chappell-Williams, who cochairs the Sexual and Gender Minority Advisory Council with Allyson Martin, technology educator, Penn State Health Ambulatory Practices Shared Services. Improvement steps include a structured educational campaign to engage clinicians and other health care staff and a survey of employees who interact with patients to determine if they are asking patients for pronouns.
Addressing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation
News media described the prior year as “earth-shattering for anti-LGBTQ legislation,” Chappell-Williams noted. “These steps leave transgender patients and their families unsure where to go for safe, reliable and quality health care.”
To address these concerns, Penn State Health partnered with external media to demonstrate its commitment to the health care of LGBTQ+ patients. A new webpage was created on Penn State Health’s external website to share information on related services.
“Although there was significant success in advancing support of patients and their families, we need to continue working with external media, expand online information on health care resources and develop a Gender Diversity Awareness Week to reinforce our commitment to LGBTQ+ communities and our education for the workforce,” Chappell-Williams said.
The council also included Penn State Health’s overall services into communications with patients from LGBTQ+ communities.
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