© 2024 Kansas City Public Radio
NPR in Kansas City
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Children’s Mercy Hospital Recognized By LGBT Organization

guidestar.org

                                                                                          

 The nation’s largest education and advocacy group for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has recognized Children’s Mercy Hospital for its progressive policies toward LGBT patients, employees, and families.

The Human Rights Campaign will honor Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, Mo., with the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Award.

Director of Diversity for Children’s Mercy, Gabriela Flores, said officials spent several months evaluating systems and policies to measure the facility's  responsiveness to the needs of the LGBT community. The hospital had a non-discrimination policy, but it did not address issues and concerns of sexual orientation or gender identity.

As a result, Flores said the hospital revised standards relating to:

  • domestic partnership benefits
  • policy language
  • visitation policies
  • the collection of data  from LGBT families

Research from the Human Rights Campaign indicates members of the LGBT community frequently experience less access and poorer quality health care.
Flores said the efforts to be more responsive to the LGBT community are part of a broader effort on the part of the hospital to support a policy of diversity and health equity.

"(It is) one cog in the wheel we’ve been working on trying to (create) a comprehensive health system for patients and families,” Flores said. 

I partner with communities to uncover the ignored or misrepresented stories by listening and letting communities help identify and shape a narrative. My work brings new voices, sounds, and an authentic sense of place to our coverage of the Kansas City region. My goal is to tell stories on the radio, online, on social media and through face to face conversations that enhance civic dialogue and provide solutions.
KCUR serves the Kansas City region with breaking news and award-winning podcasts.
Your donation helps keep nonprofit journalism free and available for everyone.