LGBT Healthcare Services
HHC has a mission to provide high quality healthcare to ALL New Yorkers, including our care for the health needs and disparities specific to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.
LGBT Healthcare Services in New York City
HHC's Metropolitan Hospital Center was the first city public hospital to receive the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) designation "Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality." The designation recognizes organizations that have met broad criteria to actively engage in protecting LGBT patients and employees from discrimination, ensuring equal visitation for LGBT people, and providing staff training in LGBT patient-centered care.
The Comprehensive LGBT Health Center at Metropolitan Hospital Center offers individual and family-based care, in the following areas:
- Women's Health
- Men's Health
- OB/GYN Care
- Pediatric/Young Adult Care
- Geriatric Care
- Addiction Counseling and Rehabilitation Services
- Disease Risk Reduction and Prevention
- General Medical/Specialty Referrals
- Behavioral Health Services
- Community-specific Support Groups
- HIV/STD Screening and Treatment
- Smoking Cessation
- Family Planning
- Immunizations
- Linkages to other Specialty Services
The Comprehensive LGBT Health Center is staffed by culturally competent, trained staff and physicians, in an open and honest environment that can provide care that respects the unique health needs of our patients.
HHC - A Leader in LGBT Cultural Competence Training
In 2011, HHC became the first public healthcare system in the United States to mandate a Cultural Competence Training program for staff. The program was designed to teach staff to provide respectful, patient-centered and culturally competent healthcare services to LGBT New Yorkers who are served by the public hospitals, community health centers and nursing homes each year. Part of the training included a video "To Treat Me, You Have to Know Who I Am," to help staff better understand LGBT patients to improve access to healthcare and help reduce health disparities related to sexual orientation and gender identification.
HHC continues to offer staff training sessions to secure the Human Rights Campaign's (HRC) designation "Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality" for other hospitals and health centers in our system.