When it involves healthcare, LGBTQ+ people face many challenges. We’re dedicated to breaking down these boundaries at UVA Health. We do that in small and massive methods.
But precisely how will we create a welcoming place for our LGBTQ+ sufferers? Few individuals know this higher than Bizz Glover.
She co-chairs UVA Health’s LGBTQ & Transgender Advisory Committee. She was additionally a part of a management staff that helped UVA Health University Medical Center earn a “Leader” rating of 100 within the 2024 Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). This index charges over 2,200 healthcare amenities on how effectively their insurance policies and practices help LGBTQ+ sufferers, guests, and workers.
In this Q&A, Glover solutions questions on how UVA Health strives to supply the very best healthcare for everybody within the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
LGBTQ+ stands for lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, and queer. And the “+” signal acknowledges the various sexual orientations and gender identities utilized by neighborhood members. Each June, throughout LGBTQ+ Pride Month, we honor the wealthy historical past, contributions, and cultural significance of this neighborhood.
I see a number of challenges. This neighborhood faces greater charges of psychological well being points, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS.
And if they’ve a scientific staff that isn’t educated in cultural competence, they might expertise the improper analysis, insufficient remedy, or miss out on essential preventive care.
Adult transgender sufferers typically wrestle to get insurance coverage to cowl gender-affirming surgical procedure.
They can 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 help our LGBTQ+ neighborhood:
- Our staff members full coaching known as Delivering Compassionate Care to Patients 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 type to seize gender identification and sexual orientation in our sufferers’ digital medical document (EMR). And sufferers can add images of themselves to mirror an look change.
- We modified the identify of our breastfeeding rooms to lactation rooms. Plus, our restroom areas now embody gender-inclusive loos and altering rooms.
- Our employees have been educated to ask sufferers what identify they wish to be known as and what pronouns they use.
- Our affected person expertise survey permits a affected person to establish whether or not they’re a member of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood. Knowing the sexual orientation and gender identification of our sufferers permits us to construct belief, tailor care, and keep away from assumptions when offering care.
Tell us about successes of the LGBTQ+ & Transgender Advisory Committee?
We’ve had many successes. Progress comparable to:
- Creating UVA Health badge reels so our employees can show their pronouns. This reveals our help for our gender-expansive affected person inhabitants and normalizes the follow of figuring out pronouns.
- Encouraging staff members to get coaching from the National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center and the Center for Affiliated Learning.
- Sponsoring a UVA Health Pride Month Celebration. We do that in partnership with our Office for Diversity & Community Engagement.
- Promoting HIV/AIDS, transgender, psychological well being, and different scientific providers essential to the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
- Participating in Cville Pride, our medical college students, suppliers, and members of the Advisory Committee present help for this annual occasion celebrating the native LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
Looking for Care & Support?
Find providers supportive of the LGBTQ+ neighborhood.
How can UVA Health be much more inclusive & equitable?
I’d prefer to see each clinic supervisor and each chief enroll their division in our inside Safe Space Training. This is obtainable via a partnership with our Patient Experience Office.
This coaching:
- Discusses LGBTQ+ terminology and allyship
- Covers scientific suggestions for greatest practices for staff members and healthcare establishments
We’ve made nice strides. But we’ve extra to do. Many of our initiatives come from affected person and staff member suggestions. Please depart a remark beneath.
Your solutions assist UVA Health stay a pacesetter in offering excellent care to our LGBTQ+ sufferers.