Advance Diversity Services has been chosen as a Silver Service provider in the 2024 Australian Pride in Health + Wellbeing Awards. This is the fifth year that ADS has received this accolade since the Award’s inception in 2020.
A ceremony held on Wednesday, 27 March recognised achievements in LGBTQ+ inclusion across the health, wellbeing, human services, and community care sector. Organisations within these sectors strive to create safer and more inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ individuals. These awards are a platform to recognise their efforts and dedication to addressing the health needs of diverse communities.
Achievements were measured through organisations’ participation in the annual Health + Wellbeing Equality Index (HWEI) benchmarking submission. HWEI is a platform that measures an organisation’s level of inclusivity when delivering services to LGBTQ+ people, allowing the organisation to review, reflect on and improve their practice. To receive Silver recognition, ADS was considered to be highly active in LGBTQ+ inclusion, obtaining a score in the top 10-20% of submissions. ADS congratulates their fellow Silver Service providers: ACAP Clinics, Network of Alcohol & Other Drugs Agencies (NADA), Your Community Health and one not for publication provider.
Francisco Lopez, National Health Lead of Pride in Health + Wellbeing, said: “This year we have seen a diverse set of organisations participate from across Australia, with some long-standing Pride in Health + Wellbeing (PIHW) members clearly shifting the dial on inclusive practice. This is important for the health sector, as we not only want organisations to measure themselves against current best practice; we want them to develop leading practice and set a new standard.”
For ADS, this accolade is not only a reflection of their achievements over the past year, but a reaffirmation of their mission to provide high-quality and inclusive services to enable individuals, families and communities from diverse backgrounds to achieve their full potential. Founded on their five core values: inclusion, collaboration, empowerment, compassion and integrity, ADS has continuously championed initiatives that promote and advance LGBTQ+ health and wellbeing.
ADS Chief Executive Officer, Antoinette Chow said “We are immensely proud of being recognised as a Silver Service provider in the 2024 Australian Pride in Health + Wellbeing Awards. This achievement encourages us to continue striving to set a new standard of excellence in the provision of services to individuals and communities from diverse backgrounds. I extend my heartfelt thanks to the incredible ADS team for their dedication and hard work.”
Some award categories and their recipients in 2024 were:
- Service Provider of the Year – St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney
- Gold Service Providers – cohealth, St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney, Uniting Vic.Tas
- Silver Service Providers – ACAP Clinics, Advance Diversity Services, Network of Alcohol & Other Drugs Agencies (NADA), Your Community Health, + one not for publication
- Most Improved Service Provider – Illawarra and Shoalhaven Cancer Care Centres
- LGBTQ+ Ally – Lisa Raven (St Vincent’s Health Network Sydney)
- LGBTQ+ Role Model Award – Georgina Poort (Uniting Vic.Tas)
- LGBTQ+ Inclusive Innovation – cohealth’s Health Promotion Team (cohealth)
See www.prideinclusionprograms.com.au for more information.