In this guide, we provide a framework for building a health program for transgender and gender diverse patients at your health center. There is no "one size fits all" approach to this work, but there are certain building blocks from which to create your own program that supports the gender diverse people in your community.
Learning Resources — Filtered by Topic
Learning to Address Implicit Bias Towards LGBTQ Patients: Case Scenarios
A primary objective for health care professionals is to establish solid, trusting relationships with patients in order to promote healthier behaviors. As with other minority groups, when working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) patients, it is especially important to build rapport as a way to counteract the exclusion, discrimination, and stigma that many have experienced previously in health care. Despite our best intentions, however, internal --or implicit--biases may affect the way we talk to and behave with patients. For health care professionals, biases can lead to inequitable care, either through biased clinical decisions, or through communicating bias in conversation with patients.
- Filed under
- Introduction to LGBTQIA+ Health
Fact Sheet: Transgender Health and Medical-Legal Partnerships
This fact sheet describes common social and legal needs that affect the health of transgender individuals, and ways integrated legal services can help meet those needs. It examines medical-legal partnership programs at three health care organizations and how they operate, and it shares stories of people benefiting from medical-legal partnership services.
- Filed under
- Organizational Change
- Transgender Health
Caring for Transgender People with Severe Mental Illness
Transgender people, like the general population, can suffer from a variety of common and rare severe mental health illnesses (SMI). This brief will cover recommendations on caring for this high-risk population.
- Filed under
- Behavioral Health
- Transgender Health
Providing Affirmative Care for Patients with Non-binary Gender Identities
All members of a health care organization—front-line staff members, clinicians, and administrators—play a crucial role in offering an inclusive, affirming experience for all people, including those with non-binary gender identities. Everyone, no matter their gender identity or expression, appreciates friendly, courteous, and effective care. In addition, non-binary people, who have gender identities other than male or female, have unique needs when interacting with the health care system. Non-binary people face numerous health disparities as well as stigma, discrimination, and a lack of access to quality care. However, you do not need to specialize in non-binary health care to give your non-binary patients an affirming experience.
Understanding the Health Needs of LGBT People
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals continue to face stigma and discrimination even though social acceptance is improving. This stigma and discrimination can result in negative experiences that combine with lack of access to culturally-affirming and informed health professionals to result in multiple health disparities for LGBT populations. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide inclusive, high-quality health services to LGBT people so they can achieve the highest possible level of health. This document reviews LGBT concepts and demographics, discusses health disparities affecting LGBT groups, and outlines steps that clinicians, health centers, and other health care organizations can take to provide patient-centered care for LGBT people.
- Filed under
- Introduction to LGBTQIA+ Health
Transgender Women and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis for HIV Prevention: What We Know and What We Still Need to Know
The National Center for Innovation in HIV Care
Transgender women are at elevated risk of becoming infected with HIV. Pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention (PrEP) is effective in reducing the risk of HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM), heterosexual men and women, and people who inject drugs (PWID). While transgender women have been included in some clinical trials of PrEP, no study has shown PrEP to be effective in reducing transgender women’s HIV risk.
Atención afirmativa para personas transgénero y de género no conformista: Mejores prácticas para el personal de atención médica de primera línea
Front-line staff play a key role in creating a health care environment that responds to the needs of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. Everyone, no matter their gender identity or expression, appreciates friendly and courteous service. In addition, TGD people have unique needs when interacting with the health care system. Many TGD people experience stigma and discrimination in their daily lives, including when seeking health care.
- Filed under
- Transgender Health
Improving the Health Care of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People: Understanding and Eliminating Health Disparities
This document offers a brief but comprehensive overview of the major issues relevant to the health and health care of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The authors discuss LGBT demographics, terminology, and concepts; they also review LGBT health disparities across the life span. Clinicians and health care organizations will learn steps they can take to improve access to patient-centered care for their LGBT patients, including collecting data on sexual orientation and gender identity, creating a welcoming environment and providing interventions that respond to LGBT disparities.
- Filed under
- Introduction to LGBTQIA+ Health
