Celebrate Your LGBTQIA+ Patients

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Creating a warm and welcoming space for patients is not only key to delivering high-quality care, but also one of the most effective ways to build trust and maintain relationships. Every patient deserves to feel heard and safe, which is imperative to their overall health.

Pride Month is a great time to re-evaluate how you are connecting with your patients, especially those who identify as LGBTQIA+. At CHS, we celebrate our diverse community and are committed to being an inclusive organization for our providers, patients, partners and employees.

If you’re looking for ways your practice can further connect with LGBTQIA+ patients, we gathered a few tips derived from the American Medical Association that can help:

Provide visual clues that your practice is a safe place

• Display brochures and educational materials about LGBTQIA+ health concerns.
• Visibly post a nondiscrimination statement (PDF).
• Display posters from nonprofit LGBTQ or HIV/AIDS organizations.

Customize your patient intake forms

• Reassess your forms so they include nondiscrimination terms and updated responses.
• Collect data on sexual orientation and sexual health history.
• Train staff on inclusive language.

You can find more helpful info about improving patient intake forms from The Fenway Institute here. Listen and learn from others Talk to your peers or listen to thoughtful discussions from those who have experience with creating a more LGBTQIA+ inclusive practice. There are several podcasts available, including the Journal of Medical Practice Management, where you can tune in to great dialogue about steps you can take to connect with this patient population. For more tips, click here.

Happy Pride Month!


Brian Steele, MD
Chief Medical Officer Collaborative Health Systems