A message from our President and CEO

Sunday marks the start of Pride Month – a time to honour the resilience, showcase the talents and celebrate the contributions of people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It’s also an opportunity to recognize the continued discrimination against 2SLGBTQ+ people and recommit ourselves to actions to improve the experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ patients, families, staff, physicians, learners and volunteers.

As health care workers, many of the systems and structures we encounter have been built with cisgender and heterosexual populations in mind. For example, digital systems, forms, policies and signage have historically reinforced a two-gender system, excluding or marginalizing people who are transgender, gender non-confirming and non-binary. At Unity Health Toronto, we recognize that equity is best achieved by rethinking and reshaping physical, digital and cultural structures to reflect and support the realities of people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

This past year, Unity Health took important steps to make health care more equitable and inclusive. We began work to dismantle and rebuild exclusionary systems, prioritizing patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity, and affirming that every person belongs in our hospitals – not by default but by actionable and intentional change. We also elevated awareness of 2SLGBTQ+ rights, challenging assumptions embedded in medical models and within the health care system.

As we kick-off Pride Month, I invite you to learn more about our efforts to transform the care experience for people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community, as well as our plans for the year ahead.

What we accomplished in 2024-25

  1. We built our new electronic patient record (EPR) system in a way that allows patients to include information about their sexual orientation and gender identity, including pronouns and chosen names, making it easier for clinicians to provide more patient-centred care to 2SLGBTQ+ patients.
  2. We launched an online training program to teach frontline teams how to appropriately collect information about and refer to patients’ sexual orientation and gender identity, addressing and mitigating potential harm caused when collecting and using sensitive information from patients. We also provided training for almost 900 super users – Unity Health staff who stepped forward to support their colleagues with the implementation of our new EPR system.
  3. We launched a policy on gender identity, gender expression, sex and sexual orientation, which supports the creation of safe, on-site spaces for people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
  4. We launched a policy on gender transitions and affirmation, which provides a list of practices and procedures to support an employee’s right to change and/or affirm their gender expression.
  5. We hosted our first Trans Health Symposium, where guest speakers shared learnings on trans health care from a medical perspective, the importance of community support, system navigation and the impact of interdisciplinary team approaches to provide supportive care.

Concrete actions we will take in 2025-26

  1. Begin the phased replacement of all gendered single-room washroom, change room and shower room signage with functional (non-gendered) signage that respects everyone’s right to use the space that feels most appropriate for them.
  2. Analyze the data from the sexual orientation and gender identify fields in our new EPR system to understand data quality and whether this new system is improving the care experience for patients belonging to groups experiencing marginalization.
  3. Launch an internal resource page to support our commitment to equity-focused and affirming health care practices. This page will include essential resources to enhance staff understanding of sexual orientation and gender identity categories in our new EPR system.
  4. Expand efforts towards hiring and retaining trans and non-binary staff and physicians. 
  5. Increase the impact and number of equity-oriented initiatives that aim to improve the health care experiences and health outcomes of people in the 2SLGBTQ+ community.

To celebrate Pride this year, Unity Health will once again host a hospitality booth on parade weekend, and raise the Progress Pride flags outside the main entrances of our hospital sites. We will also be hosting community and staff events to celebrate, foster an inclusive environment for and demonstrate our commitment to 2SLGBTQ+ colleagues, patients, residents, families and visitors.

As we celebrate Pride Month, we remain steadfast in our commitment to transforming care, one step and structure at a time.

Wishing everyone in our Unity Health community a very happy Pride Month.

Sincerely,

Tim Rutledge
President and CEO
Unity Health Toronto

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