In relation to healthcare, LGBTQ+ people face many challenges. We’re dedicated to breaking down these boundaries at UVA Well being. We do that in small and large methods.
However precisely how can we create a welcoming place for our LGBTQ+ sufferers? Few folks know this higher than Bizz Glover.
She co-chairs UVA Well being’s LGBTQ & Transgender Advisory Committee. She was additionally a part of a management staff that helped UVA Well being College Medical Heart earn a “Chief” rating of 100 within the 2024 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). This index charges over 2,200 healthcare amenities on how nicely their insurance policies and practices assist LGBTQ+ sufferers, guests, and staff.
On this Q&A, Glover solutions questions on how UVA Well being strives to supply the very best healthcare for everybody within the LGBTQ+ group.
LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, and queer. And the “+” signal acknowledges the various sexual orientations and gender identities utilized by group members. Every June, throughout LGBTQ+ Pleasure Month, we honor the wealthy historical past, contributions, and cultural significance of this group.
I see a number of challenges. This group faces increased charges of psychological well being points, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS.
And if they’ve a medical staff that isn’t skilled in cultural competence, they might expertise the improper analysis, insufficient therapy, or miss out on necessary preventive care.
Grownup transgender sufferers usually wrestle to get insurance coverage to cowl gender-affirming surgical procedure.
They will have a troublesome time getting reproductive well being providers.
Plus, in the event that they face discrimination and stigma, an individual could also be reluctant to hunt care, or disclose their sexual orientation or gender identification. All of this impacts their healthcare.
We’ve made many adjustments to assist our LGBTQ+ group:
- Our staff members full coaching known as Delivering Compassionate Care to Sufferers who’re LGBTQ+. And our yearly re-training reminds staff members to deal with all sufferers and guests with compassion and respect.
- We created a kind to seize gender identification and sexual orientation in our sufferers’ digital medical file (EMR). And sufferers can add pictures of themselves to replicate an look change.
- We modified the identify of our breastfeeding rooms to lactation rooms. Plus, our restroom areas now embrace gender-inclusive bogs and altering rooms.
- Our workers have been skilled to ask sufferers what identify they need to be known as and what pronouns they use.
- Our affected person expertise survey permits a affected person to determine whether or not they’re a member of the LGBTQ+ group. Understanding the sexual orientation and gender identification of our sufferers permits us to construct belief, tailor care, and keep away from assumptions when offering care.
Inform us about successes of the LGBTQ+ & Transgender Advisory Committee?
We’ve had many successes. Progress similar to:
- Creating UVA Well being badge reels so our workers can show their pronouns. This exhibits our assist for our gender-expansive affected person inhabitants and normalizes the follow of figuring out pronouns.
- Encouraging staff members to get coaching from the Nationwide LGBTQIA+ Well being Schooling Heart and the Heart for Affiliated Studying.
- Sponsoring a UVA Well being Pleasure Month Celebration. We do that in partnership with our Workplace for Variety & Group Engagement.
- Selling HIV/AIDS, transgender, psychological well being, and different medical providers necessary to the LGBTQ+ group.
- Collaborating in Cville Pleasure, our medical college students, suppliers, and members of the Advisory Committee present assist for this annual occasion celebrating the native LGBTQ+ group.
Searching for Care & Assist?
Discover providers supportive of the LGBTQ+ group.
How can UVA Well being be much more inclusive & equitable?
I’d prefer to see each clinic supervisor and each chief enroll their division in our inside Secure Area Coaching. That is supplied via a partnership with our Affected person Expertise Workplace.
This coaching:
- Discusses LGBTQ+ terminology and allyship
- Covers medical suggestions for greatest practices for staff members and healthcare establishments
We’ve made nice strides. However we have now extra to do. A lot of our initiatives come from affected person and staff member suggestions. Please depart a remark under.
Your strategies assist UVA Well being stay a frontrunner in offering excellent care to our LGBTQ+ sufferers.
