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Politics & Government

Woodhull Hospital to Begin New LGBT Training Initiative

A new training initiative launched by Health and Hospitals Corporation hopes to better meet the needs of LGBT patients

New York City's Health and Hospital Corporation (HHC), along with a group of representatives and physicians from its network hospitals, on Wednesday unveiled a new employee training program that will better address the healthcare needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

The program -- a joint effort with the National LGBT Cancer Network -- was announced by HHC President Alan D. Aviles at a press conference in Bellvue Hospital's Center Atrium in Manhattan, and was developed to provide a more open environment for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers, who sometimes avoid seeking adequate health care due to fear of stigma.

“The LGBT community is carrying an undue burden of disease,” said Liz Margolies, founder of the National LGBT Cancer Network. She cited a recent finding that one in five transgender people have been turned away by healthcare providers.

"[This disparity] is not caused by differences in anatomy or physiology, but mostly result[s] from the stigma and discrimination of living in sexual and gender minorities in this culture,” she said.

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The training initiative was inspired by two recent reports. One report, released by the Institute of Medicine called for more research and education for healthcare providers on LGBT-specific health issues.

The other report, released by the federal Department of Health and Human Services, comprised of a set of policy recommendations for healthcare providers, and suggested cultural competence training as a way to improve healthcare for LGBT patients.

According to research done by these groups, some health disparities in the LGBT community include an “increased risk of suicide and depression among LGBT youth, higher rates of tobacco, drug and alcohol use among LGBT elders, and greater instances of late diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer among lesbian and bisexual women.”

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Dr. Reema Batra, acting division chief of Hematology and Oncology at Bed-Stuy’s Woodhull Medical Center-- a member of HHC--  spoke at the press conference. She reinforced the need to eliminate stigma in patient care, particularly among LGBT patients, where it often leads to health disparities between LGBT and straight population.

Dr. Batra highlighted the subtle ways in which cultural insensitivity can lead to poor medicine: “What may seem innocuous, like asking a young man if has a girlfriend, can lead to incomplete care,”she said.

The new LGBT curriculum will be mandatory for all new hires, and it will become part of all 38,000 HHC employees' annual training, including Woodhull Hospital as soon as next month.

The training will educate HHC employees -- from doctors to technicians -- about LGBT issues like gender identity, and encourage openness and the use inclusive language by healthcare providers to ensure the best care possible for all HHC patients, regardless of sexual orientation.

A key component of the training is a ten minute video entitled "To Treat Me, You Have to Know Who I Am: Welcoming Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Patients into Healthcare." It included testimonials from doctors and LGBT patients on how cultural insensitivity can lead to inadequate patient care:

One lesbian woman's doctor becomes cold and detached from her once she admits she is gay; a mother of two, Rosemary Lopez, whose daughter became ill during a family vacation to Disneyworld, was told at the hospital that her daughter could not have two mothers. Lopez was present at the press conference to tell her story before the video presentation.

“In North Central Brooklyn, we’re already dealing with a lot of health care disparities, mainly [among] immigrants and low-income patients," said Dr. Batra. "And this is just another disparity that we really want to help eliminate. At our cancer center we try to provide a safe environment for individuals...and I want to provide that same environment for the LGBT community.”

The HHC provides health services to 1.3 million New Yorkers annually, regardless of their ability to pay. They operate Woodhull Medical Center, as well as three Child Health Services centers in Bed-Stuy, located at the Eleanor Roosevelt Houses, Sumner Houses, and Lafayette Houses.

“This is not only kind,” said Margolies of the training, “it’s good medicine.”

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