Middlesex Health’s Employee Resource Group Named Outie Award Winner

MIDDLETOWN — Middlesex Health is the proud recipient of a 2023 Outie Award from Out & Equal, the premier nonprofit organization working exclusively on LGBTQ+ workplace equity, inclusion and belonging.

The health system’s employee resource group, MH+ PRIDE, was named Out & Equal’s New Employee Resource Group Chapter of the Year, and health system representatives attended Out & Equal’s Workplace Summit this week in Orlando, Florida, to accept the award.

“This is an amazing honor,” says Middlesex Health President and CEO Vincent G. Capece. “At Middlesex Health, we are an inclusive organization, and we’ve created a culture that fosters equity and collaboration and celebrates diversity. MH+ PRIDE is a valued resource that is helping Middlesex Health become an organization where LGBTQ+ employees can thrive and be their authentic selves at work. This award recognizes those efforts.”     

For more than 20 years, the Outie Awards have recognized and celebrated individuals, organizational initiatives and employee resource groups as role models for advancing equity and belonging for LGBTQ+ people in the workplace, and beyond.

MH+ PRIDE aims to create a welcoming, affirming, inclusive and safe environment for all Middlesex employees. It also works to help the health system’s patients. Since its launch two years ago, MH+ PRIDE created pronouns badges that are now worn by staff, and it created a transgender resource guide as a tool for all employees. The group is also visible at Middletown’s PrideFEST and has pursued other initiatives meant to help better Middlesex Health and the community, while also increasing LGBTQ+ visibility.

“As an employee resource group, we are proud of everything we’ve accomplished in our infancy,” says Lisa Gramlich, co-chair of MH+ PRIDE. “However, there is still work to do. We are passionate about making a difference and will continue to do just that.”                                                     

When accepting the award, Dr. Siri Daulaire, also co-chair of MH+ PRIDE, said “MH+ PRIDE is a project born of love and the profound hope that single individuals coming together can make a huge impact. The passionate people that make up our group are committed to our vision and to each other - even through the first waves of COVID-19 and the trauma and loss of being on the front lines of a pandemic.”

This is not the first time that Middlesex Health has been recognized for its equity and inclusion efforts. The health system is consistently named a “LGBTQ+” Healthcare Equality Leader” by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. This honor recognizes Middlesex Health for its policies and practices that relate to equity and inclusion – policies and practices that impact both LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.

Middlesex Health also offers high-quality, comprehensive care for LGBTQ+ individuals through its Center for Gender Medicine and Wellness.

For more information about Middlesex Health, its Center for Gender Medicine and Wellness and career opportunities, visit MiddlesexHealth.org.