LGBTQ Support Services

Proud to Serve the Healthcare Needs of the LGBTQ Community in Greater Palm Springs

Desert Care Network hospitals and affiliated services are committed to providing an inclusive environment where individuals are treated with respect and compassion. We are dedicated to diversity among our employees, and we provide training to those who provide care and service to our patients. 

Desert Regional Medical Center is proud to have been named a Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality in the Healthcare Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Our hospital has been committed to care and support for the LGBTQ community for many years.

We also are committed to outreach and support for many LGBTQ events and organizations in the community, including:

• The LGBT Community Center of the Desert
• DAP Health
• Desert AIDS Walk
• Desert Business Association, the LGBT Chamber of Commerce for the Coachella Valley
• Greater Palm Springs Pride

History of Compassionate Care

In the early 1990s, when our community was filled with uncertainty about HIV/AIDS, Desert Regional Medical Center (then Desert Hospital) responded to the healthcare needs of our neighbors. In 1995 – the year that AIDS was the leading cause of death in America among people ages 25 to 55 – a group of dedicated volunteers at Desert Regional, led by the late Guy Lawson, worked with the hospital to transform the third floor of our East Tower into a “home away from home” for the very seriously ill in our hospital’s Special Care Unit. Thankfully, the need for inpatient palliative care that was provided in our Special Care Unit has subsided, but the hospital’s commitment to the community and to eliminating HIV/AIDs continues.  

Get Tested Coachella Valley

In 2013, Desert Regional became the lead sponsor of Get Tested Coachella Valley , a three-year effort led by Desert AIDS Project, to combat apathy and stigma and raise awareness about HIV and the need for everyone in the Coachella Valley to know their HIV status. Desert Regional’s $1.5 million commitment launched a Valley-wide coalition and a major awareness campaign that included mobile testing vehicles traveling around the region. Over the course of this outreach campaign, coalition partners reported more than 80,000 tests were completed. A 2017 survey found that nearly 60 percent of the Valley was aware of the campaign.

LGBTQ-friendly providers

We reached out to the private physicians who make up our medical staff and asked them if they would like to be featured as LGBTQ-friendly. The following physicians are among those who take special pride in being knowledgeable and open to LGBTQ patients. You can reach out to these practices by clicking on the following links, or by calling our free referral service at 1-800-491-4990 to learn more.

We Welcome Your Voice

Desert Regional Medical Center welcomes the input of our patients and their families through our Patient & Family Advisory Council.