Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) community members are sometimes faced with acts of discrimination and discriminatory aggression from patients/health care decision-makers and visitors based upon legally protected characteristics. This behavior has a negative impact and results on JHM community members feeling traumatized, demoralized, marginalized, and unsupported.

This policy creates a mechanism for the Participating Organizations to provide patient care in a manner that respects a patient’s right to be an active participant in their treatment and that adheres to high standards of patient care while also protecting all members of the JHM Community from discrimination by patients/health care decision-makers and visitors. Discrimination could be in the form of objecting to or acting aggressively towards a JHM Community Member based on a legally protected characteristic.

The original policy (effective 3/1/2020) initially focused on Prohibiting Discrimination when a patient/family requested a specific provider based upon a patient preference involving a legally protected characteristic. The revised policy (effective 5/1/2022) added content related to patients, healthcare decision-makers and visitors who express Discriminatory Aggression and how it should be managed.

To help you understand and communicate the policy to your team members, see the following:

• Prohibiting Discrimination and Discriminatory Aggression by Patients/Health Care Decision-makers and Visitors against JHM Community Members Policy
• Policy Webinar Presentation Slides 
• Policy Webinar Recording 
• MyLearning FAQ and Key Points for Staff Attestation

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