3 from Frederick Health awarded Allies of the Year award

FREDERICK, Md. ( DC News Now ) — “It’s something that’s so close to my heart and something I’m so passionate about,” Dana Hutchison said. “I’m just so fortunate to be able to do the work that I do on a daily basis.”

Hutchison is one of three people at Frederick Health who received the Allies of the Year Award.

The award was given by The Frederick Center to those who do exceptional work supporting and advocating for the LGBTQ+ plus community.

She did this by implementing Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) data collection.

“I was really involved in the implementation part, so fine-tuning a lot of the screens and where we were entering information, how we were phrasing the questions in our electronic health record documentation so that it was easy for the all of our staff members to ask all of those questions in a respectful way,” Hutchinson said.

She said it is vital for healthcare systems to always provide respectful and affirming care for their LGBTQ+ patients, especially during a time when their health care is being restricted.

“There are so many conversations, so many restrictions going on in other areas,” Hutchison said. “Maryland, thankfully has a lot of laws that support our LGBTQ+ community, that they’re able to get the care that they need but it is so important for everybody to be working towards that.”

Vice President of Integrated Care, Heather Kirby, and Director of Cultural Awareness, Janet Harding,face were also part of those awarded Allies of the Year.

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