Hospital Visitation Policies
A key part of a patient’s healing is the support the patient feels from friends and family. Therefore, visitors should be a welcomed part of patient treatment at any hospital. Frequently, however,GLBT patients are estranged from or rejected by their biological families and require access to friends or domestic partners. Due to a lack of relationship recognition for same-sex couples, the GLBT community is faced with barriers in the healthcare industry that can make the circumstances of care giving even more stressful.Healthcare agencies must ensure that their visitation policies are inclusive of the GLBT community.
- GLMA's Visitation Guidelines for Hospitals (2008) [PDF]
This document includes sample language for GLBT-inclusive hospital visitation policies. - AMA Hospital Visitation Policy Recommendation [www.ama-assn.org]
- Hospital Visitation Laws by State
GLBT Cultural Competence Training
In addition to implementing policies as described above, the hospital should conduct regular training on these issues in the hospital setting, making sure that all professional and non-professional staff understand that same-sex domestic partners and same-sex adoptive parents are to be treated in the same manner as all other next-of-kin.
