AJMC: Center on Health Equity & Access’ Post

My 3.5 years of #clinicaleducation failed to prepare me to care for the unique needs of the #lgbtq community. I completed graduate school and residency just 7 years ago. While many clinical training programs have since instituted #lgbtqhealth content, most established #clinicians didn’t receive the benefit of these new trainings. This ✨ One to Watch Wednesday ✨ I’m highlighting a #startup that focuses on filling the gaps in traditional #medicaleducation, ensuring that practicing providers come up to speed on key issues in LGBTQ+ health. Happy #O2WW to Violet! The Problem: 🏳️🌈 88% of LGBTQ+ people believe that their sexual orientation affects the type of health care they need, but 52% fear a negative reaction if they come out to their provider (Wilson, et al., 2016). 🙅🏽 Some providers, particularly those who are not LGBTQ+ themselves, have the opposite view. In hospice care, for example, providers view a patient’s sexual orientation and gender identity as “private” and “irrelevant” to their care (Cloyes, et al., 2022). 📚 As of 2009-2010, U.S. medical schools included just 5 hours of curriculum on LGBTQ+ health care needs. As of 2020, programs had increased these training time by just 2.22 hours per year (Nowaskie & Patel, 2020). 🏥 Medical trainees are still woefully underprepared to address the needs of LGBTQ+ individuals. While many are more aware of the unique needs of queer patients, most feel that their clinical skills lag behind their awareness. The Solution: Training in LGBTQ+ #culturalcompetency improves providers’ knowledge and skills in LGBTQ-specific issues, and it improves their attitudes and behaviors when interacting with queer patients (Yu, et al., 2023). 💜 Violet has developed a comprehensive platform to provide this training. They offer high-quality #continuingeducation on LGBTQ-specific health issues to bring providers up to speed. 🌈 Their trainings include tracks on #BIPOC communities; lesbian, gay, and bisexual people; and trans and gender non-conforming (GNC) individuals. 📊 The Violet dashboard provides Inclusivity Analytics to help health care organizations track the cultural competency of providers throughout their entire network. 🤝 Violet’s #inclusivecare matching technology helps LGBTQ people connect with providers who are properly trained and prepared to care for their unique needs. ✅ Violet’s Benchmarks help standardize the measurement of provider cultural competency so patients know exactly how well-prepared their providers are. I look forward to continuing my own education in LGBTQ+ care and advocacy, and I’m grateful for companies like Violet who are making inclusive care more accessible for patients and providers. Violet has closed pre-seed and seed funding rounds. I look forward to watching them grow! 👀 Violet is One to Watch! 👀 https://lnkd.in/gBwzXyKQ #lgbtqhealthmatters #inclusivehealthcare #healthequity #DEIB #clinicalconsultant #medicalwriter

🌈Continuing our #PrideMonth reflections, let's dive deeper into the challenges the #LGBTQ+ community faces within healthcare and how we can make services more inclusive. A recent #systematicreview of studies looking at the interactions between #healthprofessionals (HPs) and #LGB #patients in #healthcare settings reveals: 🚨 Key Challenges: Knowledge Gaps: HPs need more #education on LGB-specific issues. Discomfort: Both sides often feel uneasy during interactions especially around issues related with LGB identity disclosure. Heteronormativity: LGB individuals frequently perceive biases in healthcare and feel excluded due to professionals’ wrong assumptions about their lifestyles, needs, relationships, and families. Negative Judgments: Both HPs and LGB patients address that negative attitudes still persist.    🌈💡 Steps Towards Improvement: Enable patients to disclose their LGB identity. Implement LGBTQ+ specific #training for all healthcare professionals. Introduce intake forms and policies that respect and acknowledge everyone. #LGBTQHealth #InclusiveCare #Diversity #BetterHealthOutcomes #PrideMonth2024 #healthequity #healthinequalities https://lnkd.in/dSuy4M-F

In our recent University of Liverpool study of the healthcare experiences of women and non-binary people with #energylimitingconditions, 75% of participants said they often or very often felt they were not listened to by healthcare professionals. ❗ This rose to 85% for LGBTQ+ participants. One person told us that when she first approached her GP for help, she was told her symptoms were "due to lesbianism". https://lnkd.in/e7XdBTfr https://lnkd.in/exrvtUJK We need to keep strengthening the evidence base, and policy makers and practitioners need to use it to vastly improve the healthcare experience of LGBTQ+ patients. 🌈 Here's to a future where #PrideMonth sees more celebration of #inclusive and #equitable care for all. #healthjustice #healthequity

Always good to get more training in leadership! Join this free webinar! Learn more about becoming a leader who impact positive changes! Start off with a small chunk by earning a graduate certificate in #interprofessionaleducation, #businessintelligence, or #executiveleadership, then continue with more education by bridging to the #EdD. #Healtheducators impact many lives! https://lnkd.in/geujHvJ4

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) recently released two new infographics. The first calls attention to the unique health care challenges and barriers that members of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, and Two Spirit (LGBTQI+) communities face. The second explains how ICD-10-CM Z codes can help improve the collection of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) data and how that data can improve health equity in health care delivery. Check out these infographics and others on the Health Equity Resource Hub. https://ow.ly/l1UI50Qt7za

First official publication in the books :) looking forward to more rewarding research to come. Transgender and gender-diverse patients deserve healthcare personnel and university faculty that understand and can meet their needs. Their stories are valuable tools that show why cultural competencies and knowledge of sexual and gender minorities and their care matters. https://lnkd.in/gauDTrM2

In 2023, Callen-Lorde served 19,998 patients who made 143,283 in-person and virtual visits. Thank you for trusting us with your care. #NHCW24 #PatientAppreciationDay As an integral component of the public health infrastructure of NYC, Callen-Lorde serves those most in need among our communities. 10% are uninsured 41% are on Medicaid 6% are on Medicare 25% are transgender 14% are non-binary 43% are cis male 12% are cis female 42% are white 23% are Hispanic/Latinx 17% are Black 5% are Asian/Pacific Islander 3% are more than one race Our expertise in #transgender healthcare brings patients from across New York, and beyond to Callen-Lorde seeking the specialized care we provide. 38% are from Brooklyn 27% from Manhattan 12% from Queens 10% from the Bronx 1% from Staten Island 12% from outside NYC 95% accessed primary medical care 23% accessed mental health services 8% accessed dental care 22% accessed supportive and enabling services, including care coordination and patient education.

Did you know LGBTQ+ individuals are more at risk for poor health outcomes? During #PrideMonth, learn how researchers are using All of Us Research program data to understand the health outcomes of sexual and gender minority people: bit.ly/3WJ3BGH #JoinAllofUs #Reasons4Research

Amazing panel at #scopesummit2024 - Breaking Down Barriers & Moving the Needle on #DEI in #clinicaltrials. Key takeaways: Diversity in #clinicaltrials has improved…incrementally. Don’t show up as a #pharma brand; show up to educate & empower communities. #DEI in #clinicaltrials needs to be a strategic business imperative, especially for conditions that disproportionately impact people of color. Underserved also means geographic location, socioeconomic status, and LGBTQIA communities. Kimberly Doggett, Monique Adams, Ph.D. , Adrelia Allen, Crystal P. , Michel Reid, Kate Wilson