By Laura Bailey
Community members, local dignitaries and medical professionals gathered outside Bristol Hospital on Wednesday afternoon to celebrate Pride month by raising the Pride Flag.
“Pride, for me, is knowing I can offer a safe space to discuss health and related topics with LGBTQ+ patients,” Dr. Rupalini Rawal-Dhingra said. “Pride for me is celebrating pronouns; pride for me is being able to identify endless identities; pride for me is being the most supportive and empathetic physician I could be to my patients in the most vulnerable times of their lives.”
“The LGBTQ+ community often avoid seeking health care for fear of judgment and mistreatment, leading to significant healthcare disparities in an already marginalized population,” Rawal-Dhingra continued. “I strive to not only represent this beautiful community but also to help educate my peers to be active advocates of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Bristol Health was named a Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign for LGBTQ Inclusive Health Care in 2019. The healthcare company scored 100 on the Healthcare Equity Index (HEI), a national benchmarking tool that evaluates the policies and procedures of healthcare organizations in relation to how they support LGBTQ patients, visitors and staff. This year’s event marked the fifth consecutive year that Bristol Health has raised the Pride Flag.
Left: APRN Sue Justice. Center: Dr. Rupalini Rawal-Dhingra. Right: Entertainer Allen Stone. | Laura Bailey
Left : President & CEO Kurt Barwis. Center: Vice President of Operations Christine Laprise. Right: Paramedic Supervisor Heather Lee. | Laura Bailey
“What I found is that a lot of times my folks that are from the community don’t have any idea that I’m gay myself,” APRN Sue Justice said. “When they come in, see that and realize that, it’s such a joy.”
A Primary Care APRN working in the Bristol Health Plainville Location, Justice spoke of the importance of listening to patients and asking questions.
“What we need to do is ask appropriate questions during health intake,” Justice said, “and make sure we provide a safe and welcoming environment and really listen to our patients.”
Left & Center: The crowd gathered at Bristol Hospital for the Pride Flag raising. Right: The Pride Flag being raised by Heather Lee. | Laura Bailey
The ceremony featured speeches from several Bristol Health employees, including Rawal-Dhingra, Justice, Vice President of Operations Christine Laprise, President & CEO Kurt Barwis and Paramedic Supervisor Heather Lee. Following the speeches, Bristol resident and entertainer Allen Stone performed a powerful rendition of Pink’s poignant anthem, “What About Us.”
The event was attended by local dignitaries including District 79 State Representative Mary Fortier, Former Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu and Former City Councilor Peter Kelley. The ceremony concluded with Lee raising the Pride Flag in front of Bristol Hospital’s main entrance on Queen Street.
“It’s awesome that everybody can make that kind of difference,” Lee said, “to show that we’re a good place to be, we’re a safe place to be and that they can come here. Everybody driving by the hospital who sees that flag has that exact same thing, that exact same realization and ability to notice that we can be a great place, we’re safe for them and that they can come here and it doesn’t matter what’s going on with them or who they are or what’s going on everywhere else; they know that they’ll get treated appropriately.”
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