Employees Host Annual Flag Raising Ceremony in Honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Awareness Month
(NEWARK, NJ) June 4, 2024 – Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, raised the flag in celebration and recognition of National LGBTQ+ Pride Awareness Month.
Newark Beth Israel’s employee Business Resource Group, P.R.I.D.E (Providing, Respect, Inclusion, Dignity and Empowerment) hosted the annual event, supported by the hospital’s Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.
Senior leaders and employees were joined by Reginald Bledsoe, Director of the Essex County Office of LGBTQ Affairs. A short presentation included a parade of 14 flags NBI has chosen to represent different segments of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Our annual Pride Month flag raising ceremony is another opportunity to celebrate inclusion at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. Newark Beth Israel Medical Center has now received seven consecutive HEI designations for delivering inclusive care to the LGBTQ+ community, including two for our Children’s Hospital of New Jersey. We are proud of the world class care we deliver to all of our patients and the supportive environment we create for both patients and staff,” said Darrell K. Terry, Sr., MHA, MPH, FACHE, FHELA, Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and Children’s Hospital of New Jersey.
The flag raising marks the beginning of a month of events at Newark Beth Israel Medical center to celebrate LGBTQ+ Pride Awareness that include employee competitions, educational awareness events, support for the LGBTQ+ community, and activities in support of the Newark LGBTQ Community Center scholarship. NBI is also scheduled to participate in the Newark Pride Festival and Parade in July along with RWJBarnabas Health and the Northern Region facilities.
“At Newark Beth Israel, we are committed to advocating and educating around issues that impact the LGBTQ+ community at large. Every year, our employees participate in a number of awareness events at the hospital and in the city of Newark aimed at supporting inclusion for a community that continues to be marginalized,” Atiya-Jaha Rashidi, MHA, RN, Chief Equity Officer, and Vice President of Community Relations.
The following flags will be on display at Newark Beth Israel throughout the month of June, they include: Ally Flag, Asexual Pride Flag, Bisexual Pride Flag, Coexist Flag, Equality Pride Flag, Gender Fluid Pride Flag, Intersex-Inclusive Pride Progress Flag, Intersex Pride Flag, Nonbinary Pride Flag, Pansexual Pride Flag, Philadelphia People of Color Inclusion Flag, Pride Progress Flag, Traditional Pride Flag, and Transgender Pride Flag.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is a 665-bed regional care teaching hospital that provides comprehensive health care. Newark Beth Israel is a Top Teaching Hospital and home to one of the nation’s top 15 heart transplant centers, which has performed more than 1,100 heart transplants; RWJBarnabas Health’s Heart Failure Treatment and Transplant Program; New Jersey’s only Advanced Lung Disease and Transplant Program and a Valve Center that performs complex cardiac valve procedures, including minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacements (TAVRs). 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. RWJBarnabas Health and The Frederick B. Cohen, MD, Comprehensive Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey Breast Health Center, in partnership with Rutgers Cancer Institute – the state's only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center – brings a world class team of researchers and specialists to fight alongside you, providing close-to-home access to the latest treatment and clinical trials. 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.
Children’s Hospital of New Jersey (CHoNJ), located at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, 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. Children’s Hospital of New Jersey also includes a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a Level IV Regional Perinatal Center that offers New Jersey’s only Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) therapy; and the highest level of intensive care for both mothers and newborns.
To learn more visit rwjbh.org/NewarkBeth.