UK Chandler Hospital earns ‘LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer’ designation By Rick Childress
LEXINGTON, Ky. (July 1, 2024) — Today, UK HealthCare announced that the University of Kentucky Albert B. Chandler Hospital earned a “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC). The designation was awarded in the 16th iteration of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), released in May. A record 1,065 health care facilities actively participated in the HEI 2024 survey and scoring process. Of those participants, 462 received the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” designation.
“UK HealthCare received their first Health Equality Index (HEI) Leader status in 2013. Every year from 2016 to the present, UK HealthCare has earned HEI Leader or High Performer status,” said Tukea Talbert, D.N.P., the chief diversity and health equity officer at UK HealthCare. “Being acknowledged as a leader or high performer in this space illustrates our ongoing commitment to LGBTQ+ patient-centered care.”
Transform Health is the UK initiative promoting full-scope LGBTQ+ health care, education and research for adults, including inclusive, safe primary care.
“UK has come such a long way on LGBTQ+ inclusivity and quality care, partly due to the guidelines established through the HEI," said Keisa Fallin-Bennett, M.D., the clinician lead for Transform Health.
Key areas of focus for UK include, but are not limited to, nondiscrimination and staff training; patient services and support; employee benefits and policies; and patient and community engagement — all of which were reflected in UK Chandler Hospital’s High Performer status.