Southcoast Health’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Council and the LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Group (ERG), along with our Digital Health Services team and employees across our system, have launched the Welcoming & Knowledgeable Project.
Welcoming & Knowledgeable at Southcoast Health
In support of Southcoast Health’s mission to provide exceptional care from people who care, we are proud to announce the official launch of the LGBTQIA+ Welcoming & Knowledgeable initiative.
The LGBTQIA+ Welcoming & Knowledgeable initiative is one part of Southcoast’s multi-faceted Health Equity program, focused on ensuring full access to high-quality care for all patients. The Health Equity program emphasizes the collection of patient-provided demographic information plus clinical data so that we can gain a greater understanding of our patients’ individual treatment needs while strengthening our service excellence.
The Welcoming & Knowledgeable initiative is focused on two primary goals:
- Enhanced functionality in our medical records system to gather Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) information required to provide optimal care for LGBTQIA+ patients.
- Cultural training to continue our journey toward strengthening patient experience for the LGBTQIA+ community and all who have endured health disparities.
The Southcoast Health Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, the More Pride Southcoast Employee Resource Group, the Digital Health Services Team, the Education team, the Steering Committee, the Southcoast Health LGBTQIA+ Patient Family Advisory Council, and many others have contributed and will continue to contribute to make this effort possible as we strive for a welcoming and knowledgeable environment for all.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI)
As part of the effort to improve the care of current Southcoast Health LGBTQIA+ patients and to welcome new LGBTQIA+ patients in our community to Southcoast Health, new fields have been added to our electronic medical record, Epic. Some of those fields include Preferred Name, Pronouns, “X” to Legal Sex Choices, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Sex Assigned at Birth, and Affirmation steps. Patients may complete most of these fields themselves in MyChart, a patient’s personal health records portal, and/or patients will be able to provide the information during an office visit.
Knowing a patient’s sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) helps clinicians identify individual health needs, address disparities, and deliver appropriate care. It also helps patients feel welcomed, recognized, understood, and supported.
Resources
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Brochure