For 11 years in a row, UW Medicine has been named a Leader in Healthcare Equality in the Human Rights Campaign’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI).
The HEI, now in its 15th year, recognizes hospitals nationwide that provide equitable access and respectful care for LGBTQ+ patients and their families.
Harborview Medical Center and UW Medical Center – Montlake have been included in the index since 2011; Valley Medical Center since 2012; and UW Medical Center – Northwest since 2013.
This year, as in previous years, all four campuses earned perfect scores of 100. Criteria used to evaluate hospitals include: whether there is inclusive care for all patients, having nondiscrimination policies for patients and training for staff, inclusive hiring practices and employee health benefits, efforts to reach out to the local LGBTQ+ community and more.