adminNumerous studies show that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals have, on average, worse health outcomes than similar non-LGBT peers.
Members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s (PAMED) House of Delegates (HOD) addressed the issue during PAMED’s annual HOD meeting held in Hershey on Oct. 24-25, 2015. They voted to approve a resolution to advocate for expanded access and to eliminate health care disparities for LGBT Pennsylvanians.
The resolution calls for PAMED to:
- Advocate for policies that expand access and eliminate health care disparities for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Pennsylvanians
- Advocate for future research investigating LGBT health issues
- Establish standing policy on LGBT health and publish a news brief on current LGBT health issues in Pennsylvania
Training addresses health care disparities
An upcoming training session hosted by TransCentralPA on March 12 in Harrisburg offers physicians and other health care professionals one way to begin expanding access and eliminating health care disparities for LGBT Pennsylvanians.
The program “Developing a Transgender Inclusive Medical Practice” is being held in conjunction with the Eighth Annual Keystone Conference. Attendees will receive training on the social and cultural background, correct terminology, and protocols to assist you to better serve the needs and sensitivities of transgender patients.
Training is divided into the following three sections:
- “Who, What, Why, and How to Establish a Transgender Friendly Medical Practice”—Addresses proper pronouns and chosen name usage, institutional discrimination, and insurances and payments.
- “WPATH (World Professional Association for Transgender Health), the Standards of Care, and Counseling the Trans-Identified Patient”—Identifies the recommended requirements to be met prior to medical transition as well as the counselling process gender specialists use to determine the need for transitional treatment methods.
- “The Special Medical Needs of Trans-Patients, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Protocols and PReP (Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV)”—Details the medical aspects of transition related care, base line medical studies, risk factors, treatment variations based on patient age, prescribing alternatives, the ABCs of HRT, as well as PReP.
The majority of surgeons that provide gender confirmation surgeries and other transgender-related procedures will be in attendance at the conference. Networking opportunities with those surgeons can be arranged for those interested in expanding their knowledge of trans-related medical care.
Where: The Red Lion Hotel, 4751 Lindle Rd, Harrisburg, Pa., 17111
When: Saturday, March 12
Session One: 9 a.m. – noon
Session Two (will be held based upon demand): 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Cost: $25
Visit the conference website to learn more and register.