During June, Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine are celebrating Pride Month. Employees have several opportunities to show their support and honor their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) colleagues and communities.
Penn State Health established the LGBTQ+ Business Employee Resource Group (BERG) in 2010 to provide education, support, and advocacy services to their workforce and educational community. The resource group offers information about LGBTQ+ support at some area Penn State Health medical centers. The BERG and Sexual and Gender Minority Advisory Council are working together to create and maintain a safe, inclusive, and equitable environment for LGBTQ+ students, staff, faculty, postdoctoral scholars and fellows, residents, alumni, and patients.
Penn State Health employees can support Pride Month by participating in the organization-wide Pride event in October to recognize the growth and progress of their workforce and the communities they serve.
While Pride Month is a time of celebration, it also serves as a reminder of the need to ensure equity and inclusion for LGBTQ+ patients throughout the year. The LGBTQ+ community has been identified as a “health disparity population” by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Addressing the challenges and stigmas that make LGBTQ+ people vulnerable to illness is key to achieving health equity, according to GLAAD.
Improving healthcare experiences for LGBTQ+ individuals starts at patient intake. Employees who perform patient registration or assessments can promote health equity by asking patients for their preferred sexual and gender identity. All employees should be proactive in ensuring that patients are not harassed or discriminated against when seeking healthcare.
For more information on supporting employees and patients, individuals can contact the Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. If there are any issues accessing content or if another format is needed, individuals can reach out to the Penn State College of Medicine web department via email.