Seeking excellence in providing LGBTQI+ informed care
Structural barriers, bias and a myriad of complex social, political and community factors all play roles in preventing true equity in health care in the United States. Though we’ve made progress, we’re still far from achieving a health care environment in this country that provides equal access to everyone – including our LGBTQI+ communities, who are among the groups most likely to face barriers in the health care system.
Through its evolving and growing LGBTQI+ program, established in 2020 as an initiative, Swedish caregivers and leaders demonstrate a deep investment in expanding access to high-quality care for LGBTQI+ communities.
A few highlights from 2023:
- Welcomed two caregivers to serve as educators in the Puget Sound North and South service areas.
- Expanded education to help clinics become more inclusive and support LGBTQI+ communities, while increasing sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data collection.
- Improved navigation and coordination to assist transgender patients in navigating the health care system and accessing community resources.
- Supported navigation and coordination for 998 individuals in 2023, a growth of 131% from 2022.
- Continued partnering with the Swedish First Hill family medicine residency program to expand clinical services for this community.
- First Hill and Ballard residency clinics provided consultations for primary care clinicians' adult patients; in 2023 the team conducted 27 e-consults and 750 office-based consultations.
- Held the seventh annual LGBTQI+ CME event, which focused on primary care topics and family building in LGBTQI+ communities with 100 attendees.
