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LGBT Welcoming Toolkit for Primary Care Practices

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LGBT Welcoming Toolkit for Primary Care Practices LGBT Welcoming Toolkit for Primary Care Practices BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group www.brighamandwomens.org/lgbt [email protected] www.brighamandwomens.org/lgbt [email protected] Message from the BWHC LGBT & Allies ERG Board EXECUTIVE SPONSORS Our LGBT Welcoming Toolkit aims to help the BWHC primary Michael Gustafson, MD, MBA care practices meet the needs of their lesbian, gay, bisexual, President, BWFH and transgender (LGBT) patients by delivering high quality, Erin McDonough, MBA patient-centered care. Generally speaking, one in twenty VP Communication and patients identifies as L, G, B or T. Do you consider your practice Public Affairs, BWH particularly welcoming to members of the LGBT community? ERG CO-CHAIRS Harry Reyes Nieva In this toolkit you will find information about our LGBT & Allies Primary Care, BWHC Employee Resource Group, a glossary of terms, a checklist to gauge just how welcoming and inclusive your practice might Pothik Chatterjee, MBA be, information about ways to signal to LGBT patients that you Strategic Planning, BWPO want to meet their needs, tips on gathering information about EDUCATION & sexual orientation and gender identity from patients and storing ADVOCACY CHAIR that information in eCare, and common stumbling blocks or W. Emily Leung, MS misconceptions that even those with the best of intentions may General Medicine, BWH unconsciously commit or have. We also point you to other COMMUNICATION & resources about LGBT health and care for LGBT patients. PUBLIC AFFAIRS CHAIR Meredith Solomon, MLS This toolkit is very much a living document that will Medical Library, BWH continue to grow. We encourage you to provide us with SOCIAL EVENTS CHAIR your feedback. You can easily share your thoughts via our Joeli Katz, MA anonymous web-based survey: Women’s Health, BWH https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LGBTtoolkit. MEMBER-AT-LARGE Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions you Thomas B. Anderson Marketing, BWPO may have. We are here to help. Proudly, The BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group released 20 May 2016 BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group 1 www.brighamandwomens.org/lgbt [email protected] Table of Contents Mission of the BWHC LGBT & Allies ERG .................................................................. 3 Glossary of Terms and Concepts ................................................................................ 4 Checklist for an LGBT Welcoming Clinic .................................................................... 5 Rainbow Stickers, Flags, and Decals .......................................................................... 6 Listing “LGBT health” and “transgender care” among clinical interests in the provider directory ............................................................................................... 7 5 Tips for Gathering Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SO/GI) Demographics in the Clinical Setting .......................................................................... 8 Top 5 Reasons to Collect Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SO/GI) Demographics in eCare ................................................................................................ 9 Common Stumbling Blocks for Providers ................................................................ 10 Myths and Misconceptions ........................................................................................ 11 Selected Resources .................................................................................................... 12 BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group 2 www.brighamandwomens.org/lgbt [email protected] Mission of the BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group Established in 2008, the Brigham and Women’s Health Care LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group (ERG) seeks to create a welcoming and affirming environment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender employees, patients, families and friends. We accomplish this mission through the following means: • Increasing visibility, awareness, and understanding of LGBT individuals and issues within all levels and aspects of the organization • Educating providers and staff about the unique health and mental health care needs of LGBT patients and families • Providing advocacy and support to BWHC employees with an interest and expertise in LGBT issues in the form of recruitment, mentorship, professional development, and access to benefits and resources • Ensuring that all BWHC policies are LGBT-inclusive and that staff, employees, and patients are aware and educated about these • Offering support, networking opportunities, and camaraderie among employees and staff at BWHC who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allies BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group 3 www.brighamandwomens.org/lgbt [email protected] Glossary of Terms and Concepts These definitions were adapted and expanded from those developed by consensus of the Association of American Medical Colleges Advisory Committee on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Sex Development and presented in AAMC’s publication, Implementing Curricular and Institutional Climate Changes to Improve Health Care for Individuals Who Are LGBT, Gender Nonconforming, or Born with DSD. They are provided with the understanding that they are not meant to replace conversations with patients about sexual orientation, sexual practices, gender, etc. SEXUAL ORIENTATION: an individual’s inclination to feel sexual attraction or arousal to a particular body type or identity. Bisexual: usually refers to a person who has a sexual attraction to both males and females. Gay: usually refers to a person who identifies his or her primary romantic feelings, sexual attractions, and/or arousal patterns as being toward someone of the same gender or sex. Homosexual: literally “same-sex,” usually used as an adjective to refer to same-gendered relations. Lesbian: usually refers to a female person who identifies her primary romantic feelings, sexual attractions, and/or arousal patterns as being toward a person of the same gender or sex. Pansexual: usually refers to a person who identifies his or her primary romantic feelings, sexual attractions, and/or arousal patterns as being toward any person, without regard to gender or sex. Straight/Heterosexual: literally “other sex” or “different sex,” usually used as an adjective to refer to relations between a man and a woman. Queer: a term available for patients to use in self-identifying their sexual orientation and/or gender. ASSIGNED SEX AT BIRTH Sex: the aggregate of an individual’s biological traits (genotypical and phenotypical) as those traits map to male/female differentiation and the male-female anatomical and physiological spectrum (see also “natal sex”). Natal Sex: usually refers to the sex karyotype (XX, XY, XO, XXY, etc.) and sex phenotype (external genitals, gonads, internal sex organs) with which a person was born. Natal sex is typically what is used to give a baby a gender assignment as boy or girl. Intersex: historically, a term used in biology and, later, in medicine to refer to beings (including people) whose sex development falls between the male-typical and female-typical forms. The use of the term as an identity label is currently in flux; Difference of Sex Development (DSD): an emerging umbrella term for a wide variety of congenital conditions in which the development of chromosomal, gonadal, and/or anatomical sex is atypical. GENDER IDENTITY: an individual’s personal and subjective inner sense of self as belonging to a particular gender. Gender: psychological, behavioral, and cultural characteristics that are believed to be associated with maleness and femaleness. Gender Expression: mannerisms, personal traits, clothing choices, etc., that serve to communicate a person’s identity as they relate to a particular societal gender role. Genderqueer: an umbrella category for people whose gender identities are something other than male or female. People who are genderqueer may identify as: having an overlap or indefinite lines between gender identity and sexual and romantic orientation; being two or more genders; being without a gender; or moving between genders or having a fluid gender identity. Trans Female-to-Male (FtM): usually refers to a transgender person who was identified as female at birth but who identifies as a male in terms of his gender identity. Trans Male-to-Female (MtF): usually refers to a transgender person who was identified as male at birth but who identifies as a female in terms of her gender identity. BWHC LGBT & Allies Employee Resource Group 4 www.brighamandwomens.org/lgbt [email protected] Checklist for an LGBT Welcoming Clinic Intake and Record-keeping My intake forms differentiate between birth sex and current gender OR include transgender options (like MTF/trans-woman and FTM/trans-man) OR allow open- response (like “other”). In eCare, this information can be stored in the Medical History section of a patient’s chart. If applicable, my intake forms include “domestic partnership” and/or “partnered” in addition to options like single/married/widowed/divorced. I know how to address a patient’s concerns about the inclusion of sexual identity in paper or electronic health records. Clinic Environment Our non-discrimination policy is visible and includes sexual orientation and gender identity. I enforce my institution’s policy on treatment of sexual minority patients and employees. My office provides and displays some educational materials that are either LGBT- inclusive
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