This past week, March 26-30, marked the annual observance of LGBT Health Awareness Week, presented every year at this time by the National Coalition for LGBT Health. LGBT Health Awareness Week is a call to action for community members, advocates, service providers and governmental officials to recognize health and wellness as an essential part of the social justice movement for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, families and the wider community. As the executive director of an organization dedicated to our community’s health care and wellness, and a board member of the National Coalition for LGBT Health, this is a subject close to my heart.
The 2012 awareness campaign is focused on four core LGBT health principles. The first is “Consumer Empowerment,” which the coalition works to achieve by making resources available to LGBT individuals on how to approach their health-care providers about their sexual orientation and gender identity. That’s because coming out to your health-care provider is among the most important steps you can take to ensure you are receiving the best advice, the most appropriate screenings and, ultimately, the most effective medical care.
By far the largest impact on lesbian health comes from the tendency for lesbian or bisexual women to avoid regular health care or fail or delay returning for follow-up care. The same can be said for gay and bisexual men and transgender-identified individuals. Ideally, doctors would understand the issues we face — and one way we can encourage understanding is by choosing to come out.
Only by making ourselves visible can we work to increase the body of knowledge about health issues affecting the LGBT population. Visibility is also a critical step if we hope to increase the availability of, access to and quality of physical, mental and behavioral health and related services for the LGBT population.
The second core theme for this year’s LGBT health awareness week is “Culturally Competent Services,” which the coalition supports by directing health-care providers to resources on how to become a culturally competent source of services for the LGBT community. What does that mean, in practice? Culturally competent health providers are those who are open and welcoming to LGBT patients. They do not make assumptions about the sexuality of any patient without asking appropriate questions. They take histories and do examinations that are appropriate to the needs of the LGBT patient. They are knowledgeable about and open to discussing a variety of types of families and include all caregivers and partners in health discussions as necessary. If they make mistakes in understanding, they apologize and are open to learning.
In addition to Mazzoni Center Family and Community Medicine, which offers primary care for LGBT individuals of all ages at 809 Locust St., there are an increasing number of culturally competent providers working in our region (and around the country) today. One way to find an LGBT-friendly and competent provider is to ask for recommendations from friends or colleagues. Also, the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association has a “find a provider” feature on its website, www.glma.org.
Before you chose a primary health-care provider, take the time to ask some questions. Do they have other LGBT patients in their practice? (You can usually tell by the response where the office stands on the issue. If you don’t like the answer, move on. If you get a pleasant or thoughtful “yes,” then you may have found your doctor.)
Take a look at the intake forms: You can tell a lot from the kinds of questions they ask of potential patients. Sometimes the physical environment of the doctor’s office can help LGBT patients feel more comfortable. A posted antidiscrimination statement, a unisex bathroom, diverse magazines and brochures with LGBT-specific health issues are signs of a safe environment. And don’t be afraid to point out to your health-care provider if you feel their intake forms, interview questions and/or the office space are not reflective of an LGBT-friendly and welcoming environment.
The third goal of this year’s LGBT Health Awareness Week is creating “Engaged Communities.” This is an ongoing priority for the coalition, which they support by providing outreach materials to a variety of organizations to encourage participation in LGBT Health Awareness Week, and helping them to spread the word about key issues impacting our communities.
Lastly, the National Coalition on LGBT Health, in partnership with the Family Equality Council, Center for American Progress, Human Rights Campaign and GLMA, addressed the issue of “Inclusive Policymaking” at a Congressional briefing on “The Health and Well-Being of LGBT Families,” March 28. A distinguished panel of health-care providers and public-policy experts explored the unique social, economic and legal impediments to LGBT family health and well-being in the United States. The goal was to provide lawmakers with a greater appreciation of the day-to-day hurdles our families face in accessing health insurance, health care, fair tax treatment, hospital visitation and medical decision-making — to name a few.
Against this backdrop, the panel highlighted a series of introduced legislative remedies — including the bipartisan Every Child Deserves a Family Act (H.R.1681 and S.1770), which had 100 cosponsors in the House of Representatives as of last week. The bill, if passed, will eliminate state laws, policies, practices and procedures that “exclude potential adoptive and foster parents because marital status, sexual orientation or gender identity.”
They brought up the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act (H.R.3485 and S.1910), which would provide domestic-partnership benefits to all federal civilian employees on the same basis as spousal benefits. This is significant because the federal government employs about 2 million people, making it the nation’s largest civilian employer. The panel also highlighted the Tax Parity for Health Plan Beneficiaries Act (H.R.2088 and S.1171), which would end the taxation of benefits provided for domestic partners and other non-spouse beneficiaries under employers’ health plans.
Clearly there is work to be done in addressing LGBT health disparities, both at the individual and the public-policy levels. That’s why LGBT Health Awareness Week remains an important reminder. All of us can play a role in making things better — whether by coming out to our health-care providers, helping them to improve their cultural competency or supporting public policies that will impact our access to quality care.
Nurit Shein is executive director of Mazzoni Center, the only LGBT health center in the Philadelphia region. Visit www.mazzonicenter.org for more information.