SILVER SPRING, MARYLAND, MAY 7, 2024 – CCI Health Services (CCI), one of the largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) serving over 64,000 residents in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, Maryland, announced today its inclusion in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) 2024. The organization received recognition as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer.

Released today in its 16^th iteration, the HEI is the national LGBTQ+ benchmarking tool for evaluating health care facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, visitors, and employees. A record 1,065 health care facilities actively participated in the HEI 2024 survey and scoring process. Of those participants, only 462 received the LGBTQ+ Healthcare High Performer designation.

“It’s a great honor to receive recognition from a health equity leader and advocacy powerhouse like the Human Rights Campaign,” said Dr. Sonya Bruton, CCI’s Chief Executive Officer and President. “At CCI, we believe everyone deserves a safe and empowering health care experience regardless of who they love or how they identify. We’ve made a commitment to our LGBTQ+ neighbors to deliver quality services that help them meet their goals and realize their potential. Our status as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer is critical to establishing ourselves as a local leader in LGBTQ+-specific and gender-affirming care, and we’re proud to have the HRC’s confidence.”

“As anti-LGBTQ+ extremists look to strip away health care access at every turn, LGBTQ+ people and their loved ones are looking for health care providers to offer and champion fully inclusive services, The Healthcare Equality Index is helping people find facilities where welcoming policies and practices are the standard,” said Kelley Robinson, President of the Human Rights Campaign. “We know that LGBTQ+ people – especially our trans family – continue to face discrimination in the doctor’s office. No one should have to put their health on the backburner for fear of mistreatment in a health care facility or by their doctor.”

To achieve the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer recognition, health care facilities must receive full credit in Non-Discrimination and Staff Training, at least partial credit in both scoring sections of Patient Services & Support, partial credit in Employee Benefits & Policies and Patient & Community Engagement, and obtain an overall score between 80 – 95.

2024 will mark CCI’s second appearance in the HEI. In 2022, the organization made its debut in the Foundational Policies for LGBTQ+ Healthcare category, a tier serving to highlight organizations that demonstrate foundational policies to promote inclusion and a commitment to training in LGBTQ+ competent care.

CCI’s recognition arrives amid increasing efforts by the FQHC to reach LGBTQ+ neighbors with quality health services while fostering a safe and inclusive experience in the wider community. In January, the organization released a joint statement with Montgomery County Council Vice President Kate Stewart addressing the county’s lack of gender-affirming health care. That same month, CCI hosted the State of Transgender Health Care Roundtable at its headquarters, inviting local leaders and advocates to discuss the importance of greater access to health care for trans, non-binary, and expansive neighbors.

In 2025, CCI will open its Sexual and Gender Minorities (SGM) health center in Silver Spring, the first health space in Montgomery County to offer specialized gender-affirming services. The center will feature ten exam rooms, lab services, and an on-site pharmacy. Health professionals at the site will be trained in gender-affirming care within the organization’s established culturally competent and patient-centered framework.

To read the full HEI 2024 report, visit: https://reports.hrc.org/hei-2024

About CCI Health Services: Founded in 1972, CCI Health Services is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides quality and affordable health care to patients in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties. In addition, CCI empowers underserved populations and advocates for a more equitable health care system.