New ParklandParkland Memorial Hospital sent over a press release titled “Parkland recognized for commitment to minority business development.”

That’s great. The hospital should be doing business with minority-owned businesses.

“Supplier diversity is a priority at Parkland,” said Indria Hollingsworth, Parkland’s director of supplier diversity and ethical sourcing. “Parkland’s Board of Managers made inclusion of diverse suppliers a strategic priority for the organization. The Board’s vision, coupled with the guidance of the executive leadership team, has created a climate of meaningful inclusion.”

So I wrote back and asked which of the businesses are LGBT-owned. That’s something I’d love to highlight. Parkland has many LGBT employees. Parkland has lots of LGBT patients. Amelia Court, the hospital’s HIV/AIDS clinic, was originally created primarily for gay patients. Until an executive order by President Obama changed things, Parkland was the only hospital in Dallas that had a policy ensuring same-sex couples could visit their partners in the hospital.

So who are the LGBT suppliers?

Parkland Media Supervisor Catherine Bradley sent Hollingsworth’s response:

“Our program does not include the LGBT community. We are governed by County Code and the focus of the County Code is ethnic minority and women owned business enterprises.”

Disappointing.

So the first place I’m posting this information is on Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins’ Facebook page. Let’s see if we can get something done.