Our commitment to LGBTQIA+ care
At Dignity Health, we believe everyone deserves high-quality health care. We understand the history of discrimination faced by the LGBTQIA+ community in health care settings. That's why we're committed to providing respectful, welcoming and knowledgeable care, free from bias.
From the beginning, Dignity Health has embraced compassionate care, a tradition established by our founding Catholic sisters. We stood by this principle during the AIDS epidemic, offering care when others wouldn't. Patients from the LGBTQIA+ community still tell us today about sisters in our hospitals who sat for hours with them and their loved ones, holding hands and offering comfort when other health care providers backed away. This commitment to serving all in need remains unwavering.
We see you, we understand you and we care about you. Our diverse workforce includes many LGBTQIA+ employees, reflecting the communities we serve.
Dignity Health is dedicated to serving everyone in need and achieving equality for all.
All Dignity Health hospitals across California, Arizona and Nevada have been recognized as Leaders or Top Performers in the Human Rights Campaign's 2024 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). This prestigious designation reflects our unwavering commitment to providing respectful, welcoming and equitable care for everyone in the communities we serve.
The HEI is the nation's leading LGBTQIA+ health care equality benchmarking tool. This recognition underscores Dignity Health's dedication to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for all patients, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
Our providers are being trained to offer sensitive, welcoming care to LGBTQIA+ people and their families — and in two locations we have made a special, nation-leading commitment to LGBTQIA+ care. At Dignity Health, you can expect:
- Culturally competent staff: Our health care professionals are trained to provide sensitive and inclusive care tailored to your unique needs.
- Respectful and affirming environment: We celebrate diversity and strive to create a welcoming atmosphere where you feel comfortable being yourself.
- Comprehensive health care services: We offer a wide range of health care services to meet the needs of LGBTQIA+ individuals and families.
We engaged a leading educator and consultant in LGBTQIA+ health to provide us with a candid assessment of our strengths — and our growth areas. Shane Snowdon, Founding Director of the UCSF Center for LGBT Health & Equity and of HRC’s Health & Aging Program, has helped us strengthen our training, policies and practices in a host of areas, so that we can be an ongoing leader in LGBTQIA+ care.
"I've been impressed and moved by the strength and sincerity of Dignity Health's dedication to doing right by LGBTQIA+ people and our families," shares Snowdon.
The CARE Center at St. Mary Long Beach — founded in 1986 to respond to the AIDS crisis — has been a national leader in HIV/AIDS care, including groundbreaking education for providers in PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) treatment.
Dignity Health provides compassionate health services for transgender patients and their families. Our facilities offer various transgender health care options, including, hormone therapy, psychological services, mastectomy, breast augmentation, orchiectomy and hysterectomy.
Our policies prohibit discrimination based on gender identity. Our employees provide unbiased, respectful and sensitive care. If a certain service is unavailable at one location, we transition care to another provider within a reasonable distance.
For example, some sterilization procedures are not performed at our Catholic facilities. In these situations, care moves to another provider or one of our non-Catholic facilities.
Catholic facilities in Arizona:
Other than-Catholic facilities in Arizona:
We seek out opportunities to support LGBTQIA+ equality. It’s important to us to live out our explicit commitment to LGBTQIA+ people and their families — and we take concrete steps to do just that.
Dignity Health is proud to announce that all of our hospitals across California, Arizona and Nevada have been recognized as Leaders or Top Performers in the Human Rights Campaign's 2024 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI).
The HEI is the nation's leading LGBTQIA+ health care equality benchmarking tool. This prestigious recognition reflects our unwavering commitment to providing a safe, welcoming and equitable health care experience for everyone in our communities.
Raising our voice for LGBTQIA+ health and equity
We know how important it is for healthcare organizations to speak out for LGBTQIA+ equality, which is closely linked to health and wellbeing. We seek out opportunities to support and highlight progress toward LGBTQIA+ equality.
We co-signed a powerful statement prepared by the Tyler Clementi Foundation which declares, in part: “We take this opportunity to say to our LGBT friends, especially young people, that we stand with you and oppose any form of violence, bullying or harassment directed at you.”
We provided information about LGBTQIA+ health care:
We are deeply committed to ensuring an inclusive and equitable environment for all patients and employees. Our comprehensive nondiscrimination policies explicitly forbid discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, including in:
Patient care: Our policies ensure that all patients receive the same high standard of care without discrimination.
Visitation rights: We guarantee equal visitation rights for all patients, allowing them to define their own family and support network.
Employment: We maintain an Equal Employment Opportunity policy that prohibits discrimination and harassment in all employment decisions.
Contact us: If you have questions, feedback or need support, please contact Dignity Health LGBTQIA+ Patient Advocate at lgbtqadvocate@commonspirit.org.
Explore the resources below for information relevant to LGBTQIA+ patients.
Resources for providers
Helpful links
Notice: "Find a Doctor" is provided by CommonSpirit Health as a convenience to you. The information on each participating doctor is submitted to CommonSpirit Health by each doctor and is not independently verified by CommonSpirit Health. Each doctor is solely responsible for the completeness and accuracy of the information listed about him or her. CommonSpirit Health is not responsible for any loss or damages caused by your reliance on the doctor information contained on Find a Doctor. You should telephone the doctor's office in advance to verify the accuracy of the information.
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