Kenneth R. Rorabaugh’s Post

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT TO ALL OHIO PROVIDERS **More information and tips for compliance is available to current clients and will be distributed in our next weekly compliance update for those subscribed to that service.** HB 68, which bans nearly all gender-affirming medical care for transgender and gender diverse youth in Ohio, will become law in Ohio, following today's Senate override of Governor DeWine's veto. We are devastated that Ohio politicians have put political agendas and bigotry above the wellbeing of transgender and gender diverse youth and their families as well as the best-practice healthcare standards affirmed by every major medical association. We stand in solidarity with our transgender friends, family members, colleagues, clients and community members - we see you, and we will continue to fight with you. What HB 68 says: - A parent’s refusal to acknowledge or obtain care for their child’s gender identity/transition cannot be a factor during allocation of parental rights - Physicians cannot perform any gender reassignment surgeries on minors - The bill still allows these surgeries for intersex youth who often do not consent to these surgeries.  - Physicians cannot provide any cross-sex hormones or puberty-blockers for the purposes of gender transition. Physicians also cannot conduct in conduct that aids or abets a minor in receiving gender-affirming puberty blockers, hormones, or surgery - The recent amendment allows for current Ohio residents to continue receiving hormones/blockers as long as their doctor states it would be unsafe to take them off the medications, but does not allow for anyone to start services nor does it allow people from other state to move to Ohio and continue receiving care - No mental health professionals may diagnose or treat a minor who presents for the diagnosis or treatment of a gender-related condition without first obtaining the consent of at least one residential parent - No mental health professionals shall diagnose or treat a minor who presents for the diagnosis or treatment of gender dysphoria without screening the minor for other comorbidities including ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, depression, and anxiety as well as physical, sexual, mental, and emotional abuse - Medicaid funding cannot be used to pay for gender transition services for minors, except for mental health services or for medical services for intersex minors - This bill also states that mental health professionals would need to receive consent from at least one parent to provide a diagnosis of gender dysphoria - Under current Ohio law, minors ages 14 and up are able to receive 6 therapy sessions or 30 days of sessions (whichever occurs first) with a mental health provider without parental consent. HB 68 would override this law only for minors seeking diagnosis or treatment of a “gender-related condition.”

Inclusive, respectful, and supportive care is crucial for 2SLGBTQ+ seniors. Discover how embracing diversity fosters an environment where everyone can age with dignity and pride. #InclusiveCare #SeniorCare #LGBTQ+Seniors #CareConsultant #AgingWithPride #ElderCare #DiversityAndInclusion

Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced a settlement agreement with the New Jersey Imaging Network to resolve a #CivilRights complaint filed by a woman who has a mobility impairment that requires wheelchair use. Her complaint alleged that the New Jersey Imaging Network refused to perform a mammogram during her scheduled appointment because she uses a wheelchair. Mammogram denials (as with other care denials) on the basis of disability violate #Section504 of the Rehabilitation Act and #Section1557 of the Affordable Care Act. Disability discrimination in mammography access (as with other sexual and reproductive health care access) is extremely pervasive. In recent years, the National Health Law Program addressed this issue in our comments on OCR's proposed rules on Section 1557 and Section 504. We also addressed this issue in the sign-on comments on the proposed rule on Section 504 that we co-authored with friends at NPWF and NWLC (s/o Marissa Ditkowsky and Ma'ayan Anafi) for the sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice and gender justice communities, which sixty-one organizations joined. Under the terms of the settlement, New Jersey Imaging Network will: 1. Revise its existing policies and practices to make appointments available during normal business hours to all patients; document requests for mobility assistance or other reasonable accommodations; provide patients with a description of available accommodations; and notify patients of their rights under the law. 2. Develop a process for individualized assessment of patients who may require reasonable accommodations. 3. Train its staff on the new policies to ensure employees understand practices and procedures for interacting with and accommodating individuals with disabilities, techniques for safely assisting individuals with limited mobility to ensure their safe access to and use of medical equipment and examination tables, and The New Jersey Imaging Network’s various non-discrimination and non-retaliation obligations. 4. Notify patients, staff and the public of rights and protections afforded them by federal law and how to file a discrimination disability-based complaint with HHS. It's wonderful to see OCR give this issue the attention it services. I hope this resolution sends a clear message to providers regarding their obligations to disabled folks, including people who use wheelchairs. #Nondiscrimination #SRHEquity #DisabilityRights

While this article is speaking about hospice care and LGBTQ+ patient populations - and it is an important area to focus on - the tools of ongoing education and training on affirming communication skills is essential for all who care for LGBTQ+ patients. Which is all of us. Good read! https://okt.to/PwXGFR

COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project founder Karyn Bishof spoke with @thesicktimes about a potential Harris-Walz presidency and its role in addressing #LongCOVID. “VP Harris is part of an administration that has turned its back on public health,” said Karyn Bishof, founder and president of the COVID-19 Longhauler Advocacy Project, in an email. However, Bishof added, Harris’ “track record suggests that she could prioritize the well-being of those most affected [by Long COVID], particularly women and marginalized communities, and perhaps push for more honest and accessible education and care.” Bishof pointed to Harris’ experience supporting health care and women’s rights and her selection of Walz as reasons for optimism about Long COVID organizing under a potential Harris administration. While Harris is part of that administration, her new position as a presidential candidate offers a chance for “a more compassionate and transparent approach” to public health that could garner more trust from the Long COVID community, especially through a focus on the connections between Long COVID and other intersecting health and social issues, Bishof said. Research has shown that Long COVID disproportionately impacts women and gender minorities, as well as other marginalized groups. It can also complicate pregnancy, fertility, and other aspects of reproductive health. For women and LGBTQ+ people, “Long COVID adds to existing health care challenges, where individuals often face barriers to access and higher rates of chronic condition,” Bishof said. Issues that are already part of Harris’ platform could easily be connected to calls for more equitable Long COVID health care and support systems, she added. https://lnkd.in/gdFtigev

"I don't know what it takes to break through people's apathy. Queensland's Children's Hospital Clinic is currently conducting a review of how they treat 'transgender' and 'gender-diverse' kids, i.e. Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual kids. Unfortunately, this review is guided by rules that include: * Allowing minors to undergo medical or surgical treatments with no regard for lower age limits. Seriously. * Allowing a person to identify as a 'eunuch.' What's that you ask? It's a castrated male. * Ignoring any mental health issues a child may have when deciding whether to medically or surgically modify their body, even though 80% of them are gay and have been told they're in the wrong body. The only difference that makes a difference is action, please sign the petition: https://chng.it/2GnvRNdsPQ These guidelines are provided by an activist organization called WPATH, along with its Australian branch, AusPATH. Read more here: Link to my letter to QSCH: https://t.co/i9Pr491ylu Link to the Gender Clinic News: https://lnkd.in/gAfHEjCd Knowing about this doesn't help, only taking action does.

From article: "Rory Cooper, a biomedical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh and a disabled veteran who uses a wheelchair, is also concerned that Cheung’s legal defeat could have a chilling effect on disabled scientists pursuing research careers. ‘There’s already a propensity for people to hesitate to disclose that they have a disability – both to their employers and their funding agencies – and I think this will only cause concern, primarily to people starting their careers,’ he says. Cooper highlights that disabled researchers need role models who can serve as mentors, as well as improved lab accessibility and more accessible fieldwork opportunities. Proving an employment discrimination claim is an extremely difficult task in part because the US supreme court has made the evidentiary burden much greater, according to Doron Dorfman, an associate law professor at Seton Hall University in New Jersey who has expertise in disability law. ‘That is why many of these cases do not even reach a jury trial as they are either dropped or settled early.’ Dorfman says that high-profile cases like this one could stop researchers from asking for workplace accommodations. ‘They are likely to think that such accommodation can be deemed unreasonable in the eyes of the employer and reflect badly on them as unqualified or incapable,’ he suggests." https://lnkd.in/gNBCzdhe #disability #employability #accommodations #STEM

From Australia.... "National, regional, and international human rights bodies have deemed forced sterilization a violation of multiple fundamental rights as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). These rights include freedom from torture and degrading or inhumane treatment (Article 5), the right to privacy (Article 12), the right to start a family (Article 16), the right to receive information (Article 19), and the right to healthcare (Article 25). Moreover, forced sterilization violates at least three core principles of medical ethics: autonomy, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Throughout history, forced sterilization has predominantly targeted women. This risk is amplified for women with disabilities, who may have their medical decision-making rights transferred to a third party under specific circumstances. The forced sterilization of women with disabilities in Australia stands as one of the most contentious and widely debated cases. Since the 1980s, forced sterilization has been a topic of debate in Australia due to numerous cases of women and children with disabilities undergoing sterilization without their consent. This has prompted advocacy groups nationally and internationally to call for comprehensive reforms by the Australian Government to cease and criminalize coercive sterilization practices conducted without consent. Furthermore, the Australian Government is urged to develop policies and programs that guarantee the fulfillment and safeguarding of human rights for persons with disabilities."

Where do I even start reflecting on this week? Much of what was included in the final report of the Cass Review is stuff those of us working in the sector knew was coming. We’d known that the review itself was flawed, although were still surprised by the poor quality of the work within it. Some of the recommendations are, on the surface have the potential to create positive change. However the context around which even those recommendations are formed leaves me with little confidence that they will be implemented in a way that benefits trans children and young people. They may even harm them. There are a number of regressive recommendations that will cause harm to trans children and young people. The bit that took me by surprise was the recommendation for review into adult services. This is something that was out of the scope of the review and something that they shouldn’t have even been commenting on. For NHS Specialist Commissioning to have written a letter to GICs before the report was even publicly available is absolutely appalling. Reform is needed in relation to the the provision of transition related care, reviews of the service specifications were due to happen next year. But there are a lot of issues coming up for trans people - the growing trend for GPs suddenly deciding to stop prescribing HRT to people who they’d previously been prescribing it to, for example - that need fixing now. Besides, the quality and outcome of the Cass Report gives me little hope that anything positive would come from a review. So, after all this, where am I finding hope? TransActual have already started coordinating a collaborative approach from organisations and activists in response to the proposed review into adult care. We’ll be having our first meeting soon. As I always say, collaboration is key to our success. None of the orgs that had advance access to the Cass report (all 388 pages) would have been able to respond so quickly (and look beyond the really quite misleading summary section) without working together and sharing information with each other. On Monday TransActual delivered the final webinar in our Focus On: Trans Health services. We’ve had over 300 attendees across the four webinars - mainly health and social care professionals and students. There are lots of people that do care about trans people’s healthcare needs. And lastly, it was my last week as a youth worker this week (I’m relocating to somewhere with more affordable rent) - at least for now anyway. The LGBTQ+ young people I’ve been support in groups are amazing. So caring and compassionate, they support each other, they’re very switched on politically. And so many of them are very creative and just nice nice people. On the tough days it helps me to think of this. Because it’s not just here and now that we’re fighting for. It’s their future. And that’s why I do this work.

Menstrual care items have been defined as "lifestyle-related" in the same category with vapes, gambling and gaming PCs in new listing outlining what NDIS funding can and cannot be spent on. As a uterus owner/operator myself, I can attest firsthand that menstrual products are not a “lifestyle choice”, they are a necessity. Items like period undies have enhanced the quality of life of so many women, both with and without a disability. This is not how to fix the NDIS. The excessive public scrutiny over how NDIS participants live their lives and whether they’re “entitled to” or “deserve” to utilise their NDIS funds to pay for these sorts of things sets up a dangerous rhetoric that threatens to send us back to the dark ages of disability discrimination and abuse: “Advocates are also concerned the change could lead to providers, carers and families opting for menstrual suppression methods like sterilisation to manage bleeding instead”. “El Gibbs from the Disability Advocacy Network Australia (DANA) said while period undies, tampons, inserters and pads might seem cheap, that isn't the case for the entire disability community”. "’Half of people with disability live in poverty, and people with more severe disability who are likely to be on the NDIS pretty much live in poverty," she said. “Ms Gibbs said if this change is locked in it could have a big impact on women's independence”. Speak out. Contact your MPs. Do what you can to raise your voice in support against this. Disability rights are human rights. #ndis #disability #disabilityrights #humanrights #womensrights #qualityoflife