We’re happy to announce that Broadway House for Continuing Care has earned designation as a LGBTQ+ Long-Term Care Equality Builder. This prestigious recognition places our facility among national healthcare leaders promoting equitable treatment and inclusion for the LGBTQ+ community.

This designation is issued by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and SAGE’s Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of residential long-term care and senior housing communities on policies and practices for the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ residents, visitors, and employees. Broadway House is one of 200 senior housing communities across 34 states participating in the LEI this year.

“As New Jersey’s only HIV/AIDS long-term care facility, Broadway House is proud of our commitment to the state’s LGBTQ+ community,” said Chief Operating Officer Donnamarie Lynch, PhD. “We offer a safe space where Broadway House residents are respected and valued, while receiving comprehensive, world-class care. Participation in the LEI signals our deep commitment to the LGBTQ+ community.”

Studies show that many older LGBTQ+ adults are fearful of living their authentic selves or faced with outright discrimination against them and their families simply because of who they are. AARP found that 76 percent of older LGBTQ+ people expressed concern about having adequate social support to rely on as they age. The same study found that 73 percent of LGBTQ+ older adults do not have access to LGBTQ+-specific services.

President of the HRC Kelley Robinson said, “With anti-LGBTQ+ extremism on the rise, it is more important than ever to create safer spaces for LGBTQ+ people, and that includes the places we age. Our older LGBTQ+ community—the ones whose shoulders we stand on—are so often forgotten, and they deserve more from all of us. The participation in our first-ever LEI is a huge step forward in uplifting and protecting the needs and rights of our elders.”