Partners HealthCare

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I am proud to nominate Partners HealthCare for the 2018 Arnold Z. Rosoff Award because of their leadership in advancing Gender Identity/Gender Expression in the health care industry. Partners has made significant contributions to advance the agenda on this critical topic not only leading and breaking new ground, but also by doing this work as an example to others.

Partners HealthCare has taken a bold new step to create an equitable and supportive environment for transgender staff to express their gender in the workplace. A new, system-wide Gender Identity/Expression Policy was introduced at a Diversity and Inclusion forum on June 22, 2017.

The new policy clarifies this position, provides definitions of gender identity and addresses issues of confidentiality and privacy as well as restroom/locker use and insurance. In addition, the Partners Office of Diversity and Inclusion has developed a Toolkit for Transitioning Colleagues: What You Need to Know regarding Gender Identity/Expression. The toolkit addresses logistical, practical and emotional supports for transgender or gender transitioning staff and their managers and colleagues.

The development of the policy incorporates the views and personal experiences of a wide range of employees and advisors like the Fenway Community Health Center to ensure that it not only adhered to state and federal laws, but was thoughtful and sensitive in its approach. The result is a pioneering method. Over 300 persons have received education in Gender Identity/Gender Expression who are better prepared to serve the more than 400 patients who are identified as transgender. This policy helps guide the reactions and interactions with healthcare professionals.

This process began in the summer of 2016, a group of senior employees from Massachusetts General Hospital LGBT Employee Resource Group, Brigham Health LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Groups, Partners Corporate – including Employee Assistance Program Consultants, and attorneys – approached the Partners’ Office of Diversity & Inclusion and the Human Resources Department with an important initiative. Their shared goal was to develop a Partners-wide policy that would direct some of the institution’s resources on issues of gender identity and expression, while making Partners a more inclusive organization overall.

Turning the policy into action has been one of the main commitments at Partners. For instance, this year for the first time, Partners included transgender markers on its employee engagement survey, which provides all employees the opportunity to identify their gender beyond male and female. Additionally, most Partners hospitals provide gender neutral bathrooms which benefit transgender patients and people who exist outside of the gender binary. These important acts will lead to greater inclusion across the Partners system.

In addition, as part of the overall effort to support Gender Identity/Expression, Partners endorses the defeat of the ballot initiative spearheaded by Freedom Massachusetts which is attempting to band transgender people in public places. Also, Partners has been the Premiere sponsor of GLAAD’s Sprit of Justice Award Gala for three consecutive years.

Finally, being among the few medical institutions in the country with a gender identity policy—which not only supports its position on the Human Rights Campaign Equality Index, that several hospitals were awarded, contributes to an environment of safety and support for employees, patients, and visitors, across every gender identity. This demonstrates that Partners is taking a serious and comprehensive approach to freedom of gender identity and gender expression.

At Partners, creating and implementing this policy system-wide reflects our daily effort as an organization to encourage and embrace diversity, inclusion and belonging.