Kaiser Permanente Fresno and the other 37 hospitals in the health care group have received their ninth consecutive designation as “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the educational arm of America’s largest civil rights organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.

“This honor reflects our ongoing, unwavering commitment to LGBTQ patient-centered care and continuous efforts toward equitable health outcomes for our LGBTQ members, patients and families,” said Dr. Ronald L. Copeland, senior vice president and chief Equity, Inclusion and Diversity officer for Kaiser Permanente.

The designation was reported in the 11^th edition of the Healthcare Equality Index. In its 11^th year, the Healthcare Equality Index is the national benchmarking tool that evaluates health care facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their patents, visitors and employees. More than 1,600 health care facilities were evaluated. Kaiser Permanente received a perfect score on the annual survey encouraging equal care for LGBTQ Americans.

“High-quality, compassionate and equitable care is the cornerstone of Permanente Medicine,” said Dr. Michael Kanter, chief quality officer for the Permanente Foundation. “This recognition reflects our care teams’ dedication to meeting the complex health needs of the LGBTQ community and the welcoming environment we provide for our members and employees.”

Kaiser Permanente has participated in the Human Rights Index since 2008.