Mar 28, 2018 Newark Beth Israel Medical Center becomes the only Newark Hospital to Receive the 2018 Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Designation

NBI LGBTQ

Darrell K. Terry, Sr., President and CEO, Newark Beth Israel and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey; Trina Parks, Senior Vice President, Office of Diversity and Inclusion, RWJBarnabas Health, and Atiya Jaha-Rashidi, Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey join with Newark Beth Israel Employees to raise the flag for LGBTQ Pride Awareness Month on June 21, 2017. (courtesy, Peter Richter)

LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Index LogoNewark, NJ (March 28, 2018) - Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has been recognized as a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the educational arm of the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization.

Newark Beth Israel Medical center is one of only 418 facilities across the country and 16 facilities in New Jersey that earned a top score of 100, and therefore received the coveted “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” designation. It is the only hospital in Newark to receive the designation this year.

“Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has a long-standing tradition of creating and implementing diversity and inclusion policies and practices that value the rights of all of our patients, employees, physicians, and the communities we serve; and this designation speaks to our continued progress in this arena,” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, President and Chief Executive Officer, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.

HEI participants are assessed on four criteria: LGBTQ Patient-Centered Care, LGBTQ Patient Services and Support, Employee Benefits and Policies, and LGBTQ Patient and Community Engagement.

“We are very proud of this achievement and look forward to continued success. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is always striving to perfect our culture of acceptance, cultural competency, and diversity and inclusion practices,” said Atiya Jaha-Rashidi, RN, Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.

Newark Beth Israel earned a perfect score in meeting non-discrimination and training criteria, demonstrating a commitment to equitable, inclusive, and compassionate care for LGBTQ patients and their families, who often face significant challenges in securing the healthcare they need and deserve.

The HRC Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index, is an annual survey that encourages equal care for the LGBTQ community by evaluating inclusive policies and practices related to patients, visitors and employees.

This designation was reported in the 11th edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), reflecting on a decade of progress in LGBTQ healthcare.

About Newark Beth Israel Medical Center
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NBIMC), an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is home to one of the nation’s top five heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,000 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’sHeart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs more cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs), than any other center in the state. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is also home to Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), which cares for children from birth through adolescence, with more than 30 specialized pediatric services including New Jersey’s largest Valerie Fund Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders; and the Children’s Heart Center that offers a complete range of medical and surgical treatments for the most complex cardiac abnormalities. The Newark Beth Israel robotic surgery program is the most experienced in northern New Jersey. The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Cancer and Blood Disorders Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center provide seamless integration of cancer prevention, specialized care and treatment options. Newark Beth Israel also offers many preventive health programs that promote wellness in the community, including The Beth Greenhouse, which provides access to fresh produce and health and wellness education to local residents.

CONTACT: Linda Kamateh
Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications
linda.kamateh@rwjbh.org
(973)-926-3803