VA Puget Sound earns “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” designation

Today, VA Puget Sound Health Care System received its “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer” designation from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

The designation was awarded in the 16th iteration of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), released today. Of the record 1,065 health care facilities that participated, only 462 received

the designation.

“Earning the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer designation further demonstrates our commitment to creating a welcoming environment and improving health care for everyone, including

LGBTQ+ Veterans,” said VA Puget Sound Health Care System Executive Director Dr. Thomas Bundt. “Our staff across Western Washington are here to ensure our LGBTQ+ Veterans receive safe,

equitable, affirmative care so they can live their most healthy lives.”

The HEI is national benchmarking tool to evaluate health care facilities’ policies and practices related to equity and inclusion. The survey looked at areas such as LGBTQ+ patient services

and support, training patient-centered care, and the provision of transgender health care benefits for staff—areas VA Puget Sound was 100 percent compliant in.

“The Healthcare Equality Index is helping people find facilities where welcoming policies and practices are the standard,” said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign.

VA Puget Sound is dedicated to being a leader in health care for LGBTQ+ Veterans. Comprehensive care ranges from gender affirming hormone therapy and prosthetics to military sexual trauma

screening and treatment, to infertility and pre-exposure prophylaxis HIV prevention services. VA Puget Sound also has a Gender Diversity Clinic (within the Seattle Campus Endocrinology

Clinic) for gender affirming care and LGBTQ+ support groups through its Mental Health Services.

Veterans seeking LGBTQ+ care can reach out to VA Puget Sound’s LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator and Registered Nurse Bridget Reposa (206-277-3233, extension 63233). LGBTQ+ Veteran care

coordinators help create a safe, welcoming environment and are focused on reducing barriers to LGBTQ+ Veteran care. These coordinators can also help Veterans add their gender identity,

sexual orientation, and chosen name to their VA health record.

VA Puget Sound provides comprehensive care to more than 155,000 enrolled Veterans across Western Washington with a primary care team at one of its care sites: two main campuses (American

Lake and Seattle), seven outpatient clinics (Edmonds, Everett, Mount Vernon, Olympia, Port Angeles, Puyallup and Silverdale) and two Community Resource & Referral Centers (Georgetown in

Seattle and Renton). As the VA’s 4th largest research program, VA Puget Sound has research in virtually every major clinical department, including: TBI and multiple blast exposures; memory

improvement and Alzheimer's Disease; PTSD and deployment health; Parkinson’s Disease; diabetes; cancer; substance abuse; lower limb prosthetics; genomics; and Health Services. Additionally,

it has seven nationally recognized Centers of Excellence (in areas from limb-loss prevention and prosthetic engineering to primary care education and substance abuse treatment). For more

information visit www.va.gov/puget-sound-health-care or call 800-329-8387. For Veterans in Crisis, please use the Veterans Crisis line at 988 (press 1).