Health Care Equality

Members of the the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) population can sometimes feel shame and bias. They may also find it hard to receive good health care, leaving them with less health care options and even fewer providers who understand their health needs. OU Health is dedicated to leading health care for the LGBTQ community of Oklahoma by eliminating health disparities.

OU Health strives to provide a safe, supportive, and welcoming environment for LGBTQ patients, visitors and staff. For more information on LBGTQ health services, click here.

Pregnant woman and partner
Health Equality Coordinator
The Health Equality Coordinator is available to assist LGBTQ patients, visitors and staff. They can also help transgender patients coordinate and navigate services at OU Health when they are seeking gender-affirming care.
The health equality coordinator can be reached at 405-271-6488 or OUMC.EqualityCoordinator@oumedicine.com.

To demonstrate our commitment, OU Health:

  • Includes in our patient bill of rights a policy that our patients will not be discriminated against based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
  • Has a visitation policy that includes domestic partners and children.
  • Includes same-sex parents and other diverse families in the electronic medical record (i.e., listing two mothers or two fathers).
  • Includes “partner” as a relationship status for next of kin in the electronic medical record.
  • Includes person of your choice, such as a same-sex partner, who you can list as medical decision-maker.
  • Actively seeks a diverse workforce, including LGBTQ candidates, during staff recruitment activities.
  • Includes sex orientation and gender identity as part of our employment nondiscrimination policy.
  • Actively seeks a diverse workforce, including LGBTQ candidates, during staff recruitment activities.

As part of our commitment to the LGBTQ community, our staff and leadership have received training in issues related to care specific to LGBTQ patients and visitors, most specifically gender identity and sexual orientation. This training includes recognizing sexual orientation and gender identity as confidential information. You can identify health equality ambassadors by looking for the Human Rights Campaign symbol on staff name badges.Yellow equal sign