LBGT Healthcare Disparities

1. LBGT Healthcare Disparities

2. LGBT Leadership Symposium • Hosted by AMSA & GLMA, and primarily attended by medical students Goals of the Symposium: • Help students to advocate for more accurate LGBT health inclusion into curricula • Help students to brainstorm ideas for cultivating vibrant and supportive networks of LGBT students on their own campus

3. Are LGBT people even in my community? • Yes...LGBT people live in every part of our society — rural and urban, north and south • Recent research indicates that about 4% of the population “self-identify” as LGBT • The 2008 US Census Bureau estimated that there are nearly 565,000 same-sex couples in the US • Couples in the U.S. have with at least one partner who is disabled: same-sex (28%) and opposite-sex (29%) • One out of three female same-sex couples and one out of five male same-sex couples are raising children The Williams Institute, UCLA School of Law

4. What is the root of LGBT healthcare disparities? • Stigma & stress RT societal/familial rejection • Inequality and discrimination • Internalized homophobia • Lack of focused resources on LGBT-specific health problems • “Bar culture” • 38% HIV rates among bar-going MSM in Baltimore City • ¾ were unaware of their status CDC, 2011

5. Alienation from the health care system due to: • Denied, Delayed, Substandard & Avoided Care • Low rates of health insurance secondary to lack of domestic partner benefits • No legal protection federally • No legal protection in most states • Lack of survivor benefits & sick leave • Underinsurance • Same-sex partner coverage rare & taxed • Transgender care explicitly excluded from coverage

6. Lesbian-Specific Disparities • Obesity • Lesbians have 2x the rate of obesity as compared to the straight community • Breast/gynecological cancer • Suspectedhigher hypertension rates • Suspected higher Diabetes & CV disease rates • Tobacco/Alcohol/Substance Abuse • 2x higher rates of tobacco in LGBT community use as compared to straight community • Anxiety/Depression • Psychiatric Disorders • Violence and Trauma (hate crimes, DV, sexual assault) The Fenway Institute, 20110; Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, 2011

7. Disparities Prominent in the Gay Community • HIV/STI’s • Depression/Anxiety • Eating/body image disorders • Hepatitis • Violence and Trauma (hate crimes, DV, sexual assault) • Prostate/Testicular/Colon Cancer • Anal HPV • Tobacco/Alcohol/Substance Abuse Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, 2011

8. Transgender-Specific Disparities • Depression/Anxiety • Psychiatric Disorders • Suicide • Substance Abuse • Limited Healthcare Access • Adverse Effects of Hormone Therapy • Cancer RT Hormone Therapy Gay and Lesbian Medical Association, 2011

9. Discriminatory and Abusive Health Care Experiences • 56% of LGB patients & 70% of transgender patients reported at least one of these health care experiences, based on LGBT status: • Being blamed for their health condition • Refusal to touch or excessive precautions • Harsh or abusive language • Physical roughness or abuse When Health Care Isn’t Caring (Lambda Legal), 2010

10. New JCAHO Standards Included beginning January 2011: “The hospital provides care, treatment, and services free from discrimination related to age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.” Standard RI.01.01.01, EP 11

11. New Federal Standards on Hospital Visitation Rights As of January 2011, medical facilities participating in Medicaid and Medicare programs must: • Inform each patient of his or her right to receive visitors whom he or she designates, including a domestic partner; • Do not restrict or limit visitation rights based on sexual orientation and gender identity, among other factors and; • Ensure that all visitors have full and equal visitation rights, consistent with a patient’s wishes. Code of Federal Regulations, at 42 CFR 482.13(h) and 42 CFR 485(f)

12. Healthcare Equality Index 2010 • Published by the Human Rights Campaign, a LGBT civil rights organization • Created to gain a baseline understanding of existing healthcare industry policies on issues of concern to the LGBT community and to measure improvement from year to year • Annual online survey open to all • What is rated? • Patient non-discrimination • Employee non-discrimination • Visitation Policies • Diversity/Cultural Competency Training (Human Rights Campaign, 2011)

13. Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) • “Works to ensure equality in healthcare for LGBT individuals and healthcare providers” (GLMA, 2011) • Lesbian Health Fund: the only US fund dedicated to funding research on lesbian and bisexual women’s health • On-line culturally competent healthcare provider directory • Membership to GLMA not required to be listed; providers self-identify as culturally competent • www.glma.org

14. LGBT Youth-Specific Health Risks • Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 15 to 24 year olds1 • LGBTQ youth are up to 4x more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers because of the ways they are treated in their homes, schools, and various communities 2 • LGB youth who come from highly rejecting families are more than 8xas likely to have attempted suicide than LGB peers who reported no or low levels of family rejection1 CDC 2007; Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2009

15. LGBT Youth-Specific Health Risks • Higher rates of smoking, drinking or other drug use, risky sexual behaviors, suicidal behaviors and violence among gay or bisexual teens than among straight peers CDC, 2011 • Higher rates of homelessness as compared to straight peers Center for Population Research in LGBT Health, 2011

16. The Trevor Project • The leading national organization focused on suicide and crisis prevention efforts among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) youth • The Trevor Lifeline is the nation’s only 24/7 suicide and crisis prevention lifeline for LGBTQ youth: 1.866.4.U.TREVOR • Dear Trevor is a non-time sensitive question and answer forum for questions related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and non-immediate needs

17. References/Resources • Gay and Lesbian Medical Association http://www.glma.org/ • The Trevor Project http://www.thetrevorproject.org/ • The Williams Institute http://www3.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/home.html • Human Rights Campaign: Healthcare Equality Index http://www.hrc.org/hei2010/index1.html • Joint Commission: Advancing Effective Communication, Cultural Competence, and Patient- and Family-Centered Care:  Meeting the Needs of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Patients and Families. • http://www.jointcommission.org/Advancing_Effective_Communication/

18. References/Resources American Cancer Society • Cancer Facts for Lesbian and Bisexual Women http://www.cancer.org/healthy/findcancerearly/womenshealth/cancer-facts-for-lesbians-and-bisexual-women • Cancer Facts for Gay and Bisexual Men http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/FindCancerEarly/MensHealth/cancer-facts-for-gay-and-bisexual-men The Fenway Institute • http://www.fenwayhealth.org/site/PageServer?pagename=FCHC_ins_fenway_home&JServSessionIdr004=rmo8rp3t23.app205a Institute of Medicine • The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2011/The-Health-of- Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-and-Transgender-People.aspx