BEND, Ore. (AP) -- A hospital in central Oregon has made a small change that represented a huge difference for its transgender patients: It removed the gender designation from patient identification bracelets.
The Bulletin newspaper in Bend reports the St. Charles Health System adopted the change last month. The ID bracelet is designed to provide caregivers an easy way to identify patients based on two distinct identifiers.
Last year the hospital held a transgender health care training event for providers, and this year convened an internal sexual orientation and gender identity work group to guide initiatives around welcoming transgender patients.