Jeri Muse, PhD, sits on the GSDBA Board as Vice Chair. She has been instrumental to the U.S. Veterans Health Administrations implementation of inclusive actions toward the LGBT Community. I want to personally thank her for her efforts.
This is what HRC recently had to say regarding the efforts at the VA.
"In the wake of the 2011 repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” the U.S. Veterans Health Administration (VHA), the largest integrated healthcare system in the United States, created a work group to identify ways to optimize care for the nation’s LGBT veterans. One of the group’s key recommendations was that the country’s 152 VA medical centers be encouraged to participate in the HEI. In close partnership with Lisa Red and Carlos Rodriguez of the VHA Office of Health Equity, HEI staff reached out to the VA medical centers, only one of which had previously participated in the HEI.
This intensive outreach was successful: 120 of the VA medical centers, or nearly 80%, voluntarily participated in the HEI. And an impressive 91 of them, or 76%, were awarded HEI 2013 Equality Leader status—a higher percentage of Leaders than for HEI 2013 respondents as a whole.
To achieve HEI Leader status, the VA medical centers documented that they publicize to their patients and visitors the VHA’s systemwide policies giving equal visitation to LGBT people and prohibiting LGBT patient and employment discrimination. The medical centers also registered well over 500 senior managers for HEI training, which they praised.
The HEI looks forward to continued close collaboration with the VHA system—and extends hearty thanks to the staff members within it who are working hard to welcome and support the nation’s LGBT veterans."
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