The Miami Hospital that was once taken to court for not allowing a dying lesbian to see her partner and kids is now ranked number one in the state when it comes to gay issues.
Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) received Florida’s top score in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) 2010 annual Healthcare Equality Index report. The report was dedicated to Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond. In 2007, Pond died of a brain aneurysm the day before the couple and their children were about to set sail on a Caribbean cruise out of Miami. JMH employees reportedly blocked Langbehn from visiting Pond before Pond died. A lawsuit against the hospital quoted one social worker as saying visitation would not be allowed “because Florida is an anti-gay state.” That lawsuit was later thrown out by a judge who said the hospital behaved badly, but did not break any laws.
Since that time, nurses at JMH issued a formal apology to Langbehn, who was the grand marshal of the 2008 St. Pete Pride Promenade, and the hospital reviewed and changed its visitation policies for LGBT families.
Although JMH now scored highest in Florida, it didn’t make the national list of top hospitals because the staff has not received any steady gay diversity training.
Only South Florida hospitals submitted data to the voluntary survey, so there are no results for hospitals located in the central or northern parts of the state. In all, 178 hospitals in the nation submitted data.
“The healthcare landscape for LGBT patients and their families is about to change dramatically,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese in a press release. “We all know horror stories of loved ones torn apart, already heart-wrenching decisions made even harder, and basic human rights denied. Bold action by President Obama and the Joint Commission mean many of those stories will be a thing of the past—and not a moment too soon, because as of right now huge challenges remain on the books.”
