press release from SAVE Dade:

Despite the recent United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ruling that Jackson Memorial Hospital had no obligation to allow visitors to see patients, and that that there was no obligation to provide patients’ families, healthcare surrogates, or visitors with access to patients in their trauma unit, SAVE Dade continues to work with the hospital to review and enhance its visitation policies.

Beth Littrell, staff attorney at Lambda Legal’s Southern Regional Office in Atlanta, who has handled the case for the Langbehn-Pond family, said: “The court’s decision paints a tragically stark picture of how vulnerable same-sex couples and their families really are during times of crisis.” The court has given the Langbehn-Pond family until October 16th to review the ruling and consider all legal options.

“We hope that because of Janice’s courage to seek justice for her family in this case that more people better understand the costs of anti-gay discrimination. This should never happen to anyone,” added Littrell.

“To ensure that this tragedy does not repeat itself,  SAVE Dade has worked diligently to get the County to adopt a Domestic Partnership Registry that grants hospital visitation rights to same-sex couples. Unfortunately, this ordinance was ultimately passed in May of 2008, after the Langbehn case. However, SAVE Dade is a member of the fair visitation committee and will continue to work with Jackson Health Systems as they adopt fairer policies and procedures and become a leader in enforcing and training these policies to hospital staff,” said CJ Ortuño, Executive Director of SAVE Dade.

“Providing equal treatment and care for all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, or other aspects of personal identity, is of paramount importance at a hospital. It creates an environment in which all patients feel safe and comfortable receiving treatment, which results in a higher quality of patient care,” he added.

In addition, Jackson Health System plans to take part in the 2009 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) survey project, a joint project of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association and Human Rights Campaign Foundation, which rates healthcare facilities on their policies and practices related to the LGBT community. The HEI focuses on five main policy criteria: patient non-discrimination, visitation, decision making, cultural competency training, and employment policies and benefits. Participating in the survey will allow Jackson Health System to demonstrate its commitment to equality for LGBT patient care.