Hospital Partners Launch Pronouns Initiative
New Tecumseth, ON (August 10, 2022) – Oak Valley Health, Southlake Regional Health Care, and Stevenson Memorial Hospital are proud to announce the addition of pronouns into their electronic health records system, MEDITECH.
Starting August 10, 2022, all three organizations will be asking “would you like to share your pronouns?’ at patient registration.
Understanding and recognizing gender identities is important to delivering inclusive, patient-centred health care. Using pronouns correctly is a sign of safety and respect – an environment all three organizations strive to achieve. All members of a health care organization – front-line staff, clinicians, and administrators – play a crucial role in offering an inclusive, affirming experience for all people, including those with non-binary gender identities.
One way to assure proper pronoun use is to collect this information from the start. Once the patient provides consent for their identified pronoun to be used, it will be entered into the shared platform and the pronouns will be used by the care team.
The goal is to improve care for LGBTQ2S+ people through new features in MEDITECH, including adding pronouns, which will follow the patient through every encounter.
“We have already heard positive feedback from our staff and patients, about how meaningful this small action will be for our community. This is a step in the right direction,” says Jo-anne Marr (she/her), President & CEO, Oak Valley Health. “Asking a person’s pronouns serves as a statement about the value our organization places on individual identity and supporting both our health care workers and our patients in being their authentic selves.”
“At Southlake we are committed to creating a more inclusive and equitable space for all and we are thrilled to be moving forward on this initiative with our hospital partners,” says Arden Krystal (she/her), President and CEO, Southlake Regional Health Centre. “Understanding and recognizing gender identities and using correct pronouns is important in creating an environment where the best experiences happen for both staff and patients, which is something we strive to achieve every day.”
“This is a step forward for Stevenson in becoming a more inclusive health care organization,” says Jody Levac (he/him/his), President and CEO, Stevenson Memorial Hospital. “We want to ensure that every patient, visitor and staff member feels supported and recognized with regards to their personal identities, background, values and more when they come to Stevenson. Pronoun identification is a crucial element of good clinical care and is an important sign of respect. Proper pronoun use can also increase communication and trust with patients. We are very proud to launch this initiative with our hospital partners,” adds Levac.
-30-
