Cooley Dickinson Again Designated as Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality

NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickinson Hospital is one of only two healthcare organizations in Western Mass. — and 16 in all of Massachusetts — to earn the Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality designation from the Human Rights Commission (HRC), the country’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil-rights organization.

The announcement was included in the 13th edition of HRC’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), which was released on Aug. 31. According to the HRC, 765 healthcare facilities across the U.S. participated in the HEI 2020 survey. Of those facilities, 495 earned the Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality designation.

“Earning the designation from the HRC demonstrates Cooley Dickinson’s commitment to providing equitable, inclusive, and affirming care for LGBTQ patients and their families as well as our employees,” said Cooley Dickinson Health Care President and CEO Joanne Marqusee.

“This year has been unlike any other — a year in which the value of quality healthcare and of healthcare workers has become blazingly clear — but also one in which many of the inherent inequities of our country’s healthcare system have been exposed in an equally stark light,” she went on. “We are proud to receive — for the fourth consecutive year — this honor and to continue our efforts to ensure that our local LGBTQ community has access to respectful, inclusive care.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooley Dickinson Health Care opened its newest medical practice, Oxbow Primary Care in Northampton. With providers who have pursued specialties in addition to board certifications in family medicine, the clinicians also have expertise in LGBTQ care. As the organization continues to welcome the community back safely for care, Cooley Dickinson will continue its focus on improving care for the LGBTQ community.