LGBT Awareness and Support

Dear Colleagues,

During the month of June, a number of communities celebrated lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. Here in Baltimore, LGBT Pride extends into July, providing Johns Hopkins Medicine the opportunity to celebrate in just a few weeks.

Johns Hopkins Medicine is diverse in many ways. We are proud of the work we do on a daily basis to ensure that ours is an institution where we provide the best possible care to all who seek our help. We aim to create an environment in which our patients and their families feel safe and confident in the care they receive, and have the knowledge that Johns Hopkins employees are expected to treat our guests and each other with dignity and respect.

We feel it is important to restate our commitment to assuring respect and support for our LGBT patients, guests and employees. Together, we are creating a more inclusive enterprise so we can provide the best care and a welcoming, supportive environment for all.

As part of this commitment, we have undertaken numerous steps in this and prior years to address the care, respect and dignity of LGBT individuals and allies.

• All Johns Hopkins Medicine and Johns Hopkins University nondiscrimination policies now include gender identity and gender expression.  
• We promote culturally competent care for every person we are privileged to treat. We engage in an array of activities to facilitate that aim, including training our staff members, faculty members and students in issues related to LGBT health and improving our capacity to deliver an extraordinary experience for every patient.
• We have expanded our healthcare benefits to cover transgender health services, including surgical procedures.
• All six Johns Hopkins member hospitals achieved recognition from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2016 Healthcare Equality Index, a national survey promoting equitable and inclusive policies in health care.
• Johns Hopkins Children's Center physicians helped lead an American Academy of Pediatrics committee that authored the 2013 policy statement that supports access to clinically and culturally competent health care for all LGBT and questioning youth. 
• In the past year, two Johns Hopkins Medicine task forces on LGBT health care have been charged with developing new paths for our institutions to further approaches to evidence-based, patient-centered care for LGBT individuals.
• The Johns Hopkins Hospital will join a growing number of leading academic medical centers this fall in offering gender-affirming therapies for transgender patients, including sex reassignment surgery and hormonal treatment as part of a range of support options available. 

Johns Hopkins is proud to once again support our employees who are participating in Baltimore's Pride Parade on July 23. More information is available via the intranet for those who would like to help represent Johns Hopkins Medicine at this event as we show our support for our LGBT friends, family members, patients and colleagues.

Sincerely,

Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

Ronald R. Peterson
President, The Johns Hopkins Health System
EVP, Johns Hopkins Medicine