Human Rights Campaign Names RMA of Connecticut an LGBTQ+ Equality Leader
April 6th, 2018 | 3 min. read
RMACT is the only Connecticut fertility practice to demonstrate its dedication to LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices for the second consecutive year.
NORWALK, CT (April 3, 2018) – The Human Rights Campaign Foundation (HRC), the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, named Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT) on its eleventh edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). For the second consecutive year, RMACT had a perfect score, making them “Leaders in Equality” by demonstrating a commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices for both employees and patients. RMACT is one of two fertility practices in the nation and one of four healthcare facilities in Connecticut on the list.
“Being a part of HEI shows that we walk the walk when it comes to LGBTQ inclusiveness,” says Dr. Mark Leondires, medical director at RMACT and its LGBTQ educational platform Gay Parents To Be. “We want to live in a world where our straight and LGBTQ friends, family, employees and patients all feel welcome and have equal access to quality healthcare, and this is our small part in making that happen. Out of over 400 IVF centers in the country, we are one who has received this stamp of approval.”
RMACT has a team dedicated to working with LGBTQ patients to address their unique family-building needs. With advanced fertility treatment as the cornerstone for all its patient care, RMACT provides complete family-building services, including support groups, individual and couples psychological counseling, acupuncture, nutrition counseling, and third-party support for any patient working with egg donor, sperm donor and gestational carrier. Additionally, in 2012 RMACT launched GayParentsToBe.com, an educational website for LGBTQ community with resources to help individuals find a path to having a family.
The HEI survey is a rigorous, multi-stage process that requires validating the implementation of LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices in four areas: LGBTQ patient-centered care, LGBTQ patient services and support, fully-inclusive employee benefits and policies, and LGBTQ patient and community engagement. In addition, applicants are evaluated on responsible citizenship, which requires applicants show they do not engage in any activity that would undermine LGBTQ equality or inclusive patient care. Despite a national policy shift based on exclusion of the LGBTQ community, HCR had a record 626 applicants who participated in the survey, with 418 hospitals and healthcare facilities being named “Leaders on Equality.”
About Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut (RMACT)
RMACT specializes in the treatment of infertility, including assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as intrauterine insemination (IUI), in-vitro fertilization (IVF), and Pre-implantation Genetic Screening (PGS). RMACT, Fairfield County’s largest fertility clinic and egg donation center, is one of 11 leading In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) centers nationwide chosen by In Vitro Sciences to participate in its Centers of Excellence program. RMACT has been named to the Health Equality Index in 2017 and 2018. RMACT has offices in Norwalk, Danbury, Stamford and Trumbull, and an affiliate office now in Poughkeepsie, NY. RMACT also offers infertility treatment financing and support services, such as nutrition counseling, individual and couples psychological counseling, acupuncture and yoga, through RMACT’s Integrated Fertility and Wellness Center.
The RMACT team includes lead physicians Drs. Mark P. Leondires, Joshua M. Hurwitz, Cynthia M. Murdock, Spencer S. Richlin, Shaun C. Williams, as well as fertility specialist Dr. Ilana B. Ressler. All six physicians are Board-Certified Reproductive Endocrinologists and are members of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM). Five of the doctors are Castle Connolly "Top Doctors" and members of the Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), the Fairfield County and Connecticut Medical Societies. RMACT’s IVF laboratory is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP), and CLIA; other accreditations include the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and the American Institute for Ultrasound in Medicine (AIUM). For more information visit http://www.RMACT.com or find us on Facebook.