Phelps Hospital Earns High Marks for LGBTQ Health Care

Phelps Hospital was one of 19 Northwell Health hospitals to have been designated a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s 2018 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). The HEI is a national benchmarking tool that evaluates health care facilities by examining patient, visitation and employment policies to measure inclusiveness of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community at large.

The 11th annual survey saw Phelps score top marks from among the more than 1,600 facilities nationwide that either actively participated or were independently researched by the Healthcare Equality Index.

“It is incredibly important to us at Phelps that we make every effort to reach all the communities we serve in a meaningful way. It's good public health policy, it's good medicine, and it’s a signal to our community that we care,” stated Robbins Gottlock, the Vice President and Associate Medical Director for Phelps. Dr. Gottlock works with physicians to improve quality of care and patient safety for Phelps. As part of the hospital’s LGBT initiative, he leads their LGBT committee, comprised of doctors, nurses and support staff who meet regularly to promote LGBT competencies and services.

Dr. Gottlock also developed Phelps’ LGBT Center of Excellence, an outpatient office where he and his colleagues specialize in primary care services to the LGBT community with special competence in transgender care. It is the only advertised service of its kind in the Westchester area. Dr. Gottlock notes “As a member of the LGBT community I take pride in knowing our hospital stands firmly behind quality and competent care for this community. It has been personally satisfying for me and a point of pride to receive Leader designation by HRC. I thank Northwell for sharing the same vision and lending its leadership and support.”

To earn Leader designation, the hospital had to satisfy a multi-layered set of protocols that included anti-discrimination and staff training, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, patient and community engagement; support LGBT-related events, and engaging in inclusive marketing and advertising.

Dr. Gottlock went on to say, “The effort doesn’t stop with this designation. Being truly inclusive and competent, especially in transgender care, is a process not an arrival. With this designation we affirm that we are on a pathway committed to constant improvement.”

For more information visit www.phelpshospital.org or contact Robbins Gottlock at 914-366-1002.