Gender-affirming care has been a topic within mainstream media for the past several years. While some people think of surgical interventions during these discussions, health care providers and organizations classify a range of treatments as part of a gender-affirming care routine. Research shows that transgender and nonbinary individuals who receive gender-affirming care experience greater health outcomes such as decreased levels of depression, anxiety and suicidality. Dr. Arjee Javellana Restarâs paper Gender-affirming care is preventative care, examines the relationship between mental health and access to gender-affirming care. âWhile there are established treatments available outside of GAC, preventing negative mental health outcomes before they occur requires widening the tools of prevention, and calling in medical, insurer, and policy communities to value GAC in improving mental health for trans people.â (Restar, 2023, pg. 2) In order to address the mental health outcomes of trans and nonbinary individuals, it is important that barriers to gender-affirming treatment options are eliminated and the patientâs autonomy is prioritized.Â
Gender-affirming care are treatment options that aim to affirm a personâs gender identity. Treatments may include speech therapy, hormone therapy, or surgical interventions. Gender-affirming care options are frequently discussed and created by patients, healthcare providers and if the patient is a minor, parental or legal guardians are also present. The Association of American Medical Colleges states that âFor children in particular, the time of the interventions is based on several factors, including cognitive and physical development as well as parental consent. SurgeryâŚis rarely provided to people under 18.â (Boyle, 2022)
Research shows that transgender and nonbinary people who receive gender-affirming care often experience improved mental health outcomes than those who do not receive treatment. Dr. Restar writes âAddressing mental health problems among trans people necessitates explicit programmatic and investment goals that allow the equitable provision of not just treatment, but instead, an array of both preventative and treatment toolsâŚâ (Restar, 2023, pg. 1) Both Dr. Restar and the Association of American Medical Colleges note that people who receive gender-affirming care experience lower rates of negative mental health outcomes. (Restar, 2023; Boyle, 2022) âGAC is linked to improved quality of life and mental health among trans peopleâŚTo date, no studies have reported findings that suggest GAC increases negative mental health outcomes.â (Restar, 2023, pg. 1)
There are social and structural barriers that prevent people from accessing the full range of gender-affirming care treatment options. Dr. Restar suggests that the healthcare profession should make changes to the existing structures to allow for more equitable access to care. âOver the years, the benefits of GAC has become apparent, yet beneficiaries remain exclusive, leaving many trans people to wait until eligible for treatment at the cost of worsened outcomesâŚTo address the high prevalence of mental health problems, GAC must be synergized as part of combined preventative mental health care options and strategies.â (Restar, 2023, pg. 2)
Building a gender diverse and gender-affirming environment is important because it âallows for frank discussions about the patientâs gender identity and related stress, sexual activity, and potential transition toward a different gender identity.â (Boyle, 2022) Himmelfarb Libraryâs Diversity and Disparities in Health Care special collection contains materials to help you learn more about transgender and gender diverse healthcare needs. Additionally, Dr. Restarâs article provides suggestions that may lead to healthcare structural changes and improve healthcare access for transgender and nonbinary individuals.Â
Last weekâs Ways to Celebrate This Yearâs Pride Month post highlighted a variety of books, documentaries, local events, and volunteer opportunities available to celebrate Pride Month this year. In todayâs post, weâll focus on LGBTQ+ healthcare-focused resources available through Himmelfarb Library that can deepen your understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.Â
Selected Books
This selection of LBGTQ+ focused books is available
Transgender and Gender Diverse Health Care: The Fenway Guide: This book offers a roadmap for clinicians to provide culturally responsive care that meets the primary, preventive, and specialty health needs of transgender and gender-diverse adult patients.
Understanding the Well-being of LGBTQI+ Populations: This report focuses on eight domains of well-being among sexually gender-diverse populations and identifies opportunities to advance the understanding of how individuals experience sexuality and gender, as well as how sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status affect sexually gender diverse people.
Bodies and Barriers: Queer Activists on Health: This book explores the health disparities that LGBTQ+ individually face, how these health disparities lead to worsened health outcomes, and provides insights and a road map for action that could improve queer health.
Comprehensive Care of the Transgender Patient: This book covers all aspects of transgender health care, from epidemiology and history to an in-depth review of the complex transition for patients that includes mental health services, endocrine and hormone therapy treatment, and surgical options.
Health Affairs: This journal covers a wide range of topics related to health care policy and managed care and often addresses LGBTQ+ related issues.
International Journal of Transgender Health: This journal covers gender dysphoria, medical and psychological treatment of transgender individuals, social and legal acceptance of hormonal and surgical sex reassignment, and transgenderism.
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health: This multidisciplinary professional forum covers issues related to psychotherapy for gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals.
Journal of LGBT Youth: This journal contains information on current developments in educational policy, curriculum development, professional practice, and pedagogy involving gay and lesbian studies.
Journal of LBGT Issues in Counseling: This journal provides a professional forum for research, best practices, and emerging trends and issues related to counseling the LGBT community.
Streaming Videos
Born to Be: This documentary provides an intimate look at the work of Dr. Jess Ting (he/him) and the impact of gender-affirming care on patients and has transformed his own life.
Cured: This documentary explores the campaign that led to the removal of homosexuality from the American Psychiatric Associationâs list of mental illnesses in 1973.
Are you interested in learning more about influential members of the LGBTQ+ community? Check out Himmelfarbâs profile of Dr. Rachel Levine, the first openly trans woman to be confirmed to a federal position by Congress. Or learn more about one of GWâs own in our profile of Dr. Lawrence âBopperâ Deyton, Senior Associate Dean for Clinical Public Health at GWâs School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS). Dr. Deyton played a crucial role in HIV/AIDS research during the early 1990s.
Are you interested in more general resources available at GW? GWâs LGBTQIA+ Resource Center provides comprehensive educational, support, and advocacy services including workshops, special events, and mentoring opportunities. GW Out for Health is a GW SMHS student-led organization that serves as an advocacy group and as a place to build relationships and a sense of community within the LGBTQ+ community within SMHS. Learn more about Out for Health by emailing gwofh@gwu.edu. You can also learn more by exploring the resources available on GWâs Gender and Sexuality Resources page.
Trans and gender diverse people often report encountering many barriers to care when seeking health care services. According to researchers, some of these barriers include trans and gender diverse people being uninsured/underinsured, patients having to teach their providers about transgender health, experiencing transphobic discrimination during healthcare visits, and a general lack of healthcare providers knowledgeable about transgender health (Safer et al., 2016; Warner & Mehta, 2021). Citing the 2015 United States Transgender Survey, Warner & Mehta write that âAmong the conclusions provided, 33% of respondents seen by a healthcare provider within the year prior to completing the survey reported having at least one negative experience related to their gender identityâ (Warner & Mehta, 2021, pg. 3359).
Providing a safe and nonjudgmental healthcare environment is necessary when interacting with any patient. Many trans and gender diverse people report that many of the solutions are relatively simple and will improve the quality of care for everyone. In an effort to continue the discussion on supporting the trans community, particularly in healthcare settings, this article will serve as a follow-up post to our recent article International Transgender Day of Visibility, and provides tips on how to interact with trans and gender diverse patients.
Tips:
Use a patientâs personal name and pronouns: A simple way to make trans and gender diverse patients comfortable is by using their personal name and pronouns. If you are unsure of how to refer to your patients, ask what their pronouns are and how they would like to be referred to. You can also offer your name and pronouns first and offer them the opportunity to share their information. In an article in Healthline, KB Brookins also suggests providers evaluate their intake forms and include information fields such as âLegal name for insurance, chosen name/nickname, sex assigned at birth (if necessary), sex listed on insurance, pronouns, gender identity, sexual orientation (if necessary)â (Brookins, 2022). Consider leaving open fields for people to write in their responses instead of checking off a set number of boxes. Using a personâs correct pronouns and name will build trust between patients and providers and this will encourage patients to return for future appointments.
Do not ask personal questions not related to care: Trans and gender diverse people are subjected to frequent and invasive questioning about their bodies or any medical procedures they may have experienced. This form of questioning is deeply personal and can make trans and gender diverse people uncomfortable. Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall write âMany trans people encounter HCPs [healthcare providers] who ask inappropriate questions regarding their trans identity or bodies, or questions that are irrelevant to their careâ (Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall, 2018, pg. 16). To avoid these uncomfortable situations, Vermeir et al. suggests that providers maintain professional boundaries and ask questions that are directly related to the reasons behind a patientâs current visit. âParticipants recommended that HCPs remember that a patientâs purpose is not to satisfy oneâs interest, and that even if a question is relevant to oneâs care, it must be asked with sensitivity and appropriatenessâ (Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall, 2018, pg. 16).
Learn more about the community from multiple perspectives: Understanding the transgender community allows providers to better understand their patientsâ needs and provide a high standard of care. It may seem easy to ask your patients about the history and current state of the transgender community, but some trans and gender diverse people report that they feel burdened when placed in this position. There are organizations, novels, memoirs, historical accounts, and other resources that may serve as appropriate sources of information. Resources will be listed in the âReferenceâ section. Here is a brief selection of titles:
John Hopkins Center for Transgender and Gender Expansive Health offers healthcare services to transgender youth and adults. Their âClinician Resourcesâ section also offers âa variety of clinical resources from Johns Hopkins and beyond to help you provide high-quality care to patientsâ (John Hopkins University, 2023). These resources are an excellent way to learn from other clinicians and providers.
These tips are just a starting point for treating transgender and gender diverse patients with respect and dignity. Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall also suggest that educational organizations broaden the scope of their curriculums to include transgender health and healthcare. The authors say â...we believe that there is also a need for education organizations and regulatory bodies to incorporate this topic into their curriculums and continuing education opportunities to promote HCPsâ cultural competence including an acknowledgment of the power differentials between HCPs and trans patientsâ (Vermeir, Jackson & Marshall, 2018, pg. 15). Ultimately, healthcare providers must listen to transgender and gender diverse patients and unlearn any biases they may have about the transgender community. By incorporating these and other tips into your practice, you will build trust with your trans and gender diverse patients making it easier to meet their healthcare needs.
Safer, J.D., Coleman, E., Feldman, J., Garofalo, R., Hembree, W., Radix, A., Sverlius, J. (2016). Barriers to Health Care for Transgender Individuals. Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Obesity, 23(2), 168-171. https://doi.org/10.1097/MED.0000000000000227
Vermeir, E., Jackson, L.A. & Marshall, E.G. (2018). Improving Healthcare Providersâ Interactions with Trans Patients: Recommendations to Promote Cultural Competence. Healthcare Policy, 14(1), 11-18. https://doi.org/10.12927/hcpol.2018.25552
Warner, D.M. & Mehta, A.H. (2021). Identifying and Addressing Barriers to Transgender Healthcare: Where We Are and What We Need to Do About It. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 36(11), 3559-3561. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-021-07001-2
In an effort to remain accountable to communities who have been negatively impacted by past and present medical injustices, the staff at Himmelfarb Library is committed to the work of maintaining an anti-discriminatory practice. We will uplift and highlight diverse stories throughout the year, and not shy away from difficult conversations necessary for health sciences education. To help fulfill this mission, today's blog post highlights transgender healthcare equity.
Author notes
The topics presented in this article may be difficult and/or retraumatizing for some readers. Subject matter includes medical neglect, transphobic harassment, usage of slurs, medical misdiagnosis, death of a Black transgender women by medical neglect, and cancer.Â
While some of the sources cited in this article are from over a decade ago and may use outdated terminology and may misgender the individuals discussed in them, this article was written by a transgender member of Himmelfarb staff, who has used appropriate language in the article itself.
August 7th, 1995. Washington, DC.Â
A 24 year old woman named Tyra Hunter was critically wounded in a car accident when another driver ran a stop sign (Bowles, 1995). Once first responders came on the scene and assessed the situation, instead of treating her properly, they mocked and degraded her (Remembering Our Dead, 2019). When she was finally brought to the emergency room at DC General Hospital, she was given a paralytic and slowly bled out (Fox, 1998). The delay in treatment and degrading comments took place because she was a black transgender woman.
Tyra Hunterâs case is, perhaps, one of the more extreme instances of medical transphobia and healthcare inequity. That said, Tyra Hunter is one of many transgender people who have been victimized by anti-transgender prejudice â both personal and systemic â in healthcare.
From avoidance of medical care due to fear, to biased diagnoses from prejudiced professionals, to even the blatant transphobia that first responders directed at Tyra Hunter, transgender people â particularly for Black transgender women â frequently lack access to quality healthcare. In this post, we will review the most common ways prejudice and cultural incompetency impact transgender patients, and we will consider ways medical professionals can provide equitable healthcare to transgender individuals.
Medical transphobia can take many forms, and not all of them are as blatant as what Tyra Hunter experienced on the day of her death in 1995. Even microaggressions, when experienced over long periods of time, can cause transgender patients to avoid or delay seeking treatment. A study by Seelman et al. in the journal Transgender Health found that among transgender participants, âthose reporting a noninclusive PCP or who delayed needed medical care because of fear of discrimination were less likely to have had a routine checkup in the past 2 yearsâ (Seelman et al., 2017, p. 25). This is supported by a study by Jaffee et al., which found that â1 in 3 transgender respondents delayed needed medical care for an illness or injury due to discriminationâ (Jaffee et al., 2016, p. 1012), and that âthe odds of delaying needed care was approximately 4 times greater for those who reported having to teach their provider about transgender peopleâ (Jaffee et al., 2016, p. 1012).
This fear of medical discrimination is by no means irrational. A study by Rodriguez et al. analyzing data from the National Transgender Discrimination Survey which included over 6000 participants, found that âmore than one-third of transgender participants reporting having experienced discrimination in health-care settingsâ (Rodriguez et al., 2017, p. 980), wherein discrimination was defined as, âphysical abuse, verbal harassment, and/or denied equal treatmentâ (Rodriguez et al., 2017, p. 975). Of note here is that this number parallels Jaffee et al.âs reported 1 in 3 transgender respondents delaying treatment.
Transgender patientsâ lack of trust is also attributed to âTransgender Broken Arm Syndrome,â which occurs when healthcare providers attribute unrelated medical issues to a patientâs transgender identity or transition-related care. The colloquial term comes from the scenario where a transgender patient might go into the doctor for a broken arm, but the healthcare provider questions to the patient about their gender instead. Jennifer Kelley describes this kind of scenario with a patient named Cam in the article, Stigma and Human Rights: Transgender Discrimination and Its Influence on Patient Health. Cam wanted to see the doctor about a chronic issue unrelated to her transness, and perhaps discuss hormone replacement therapy, but the provider instead questioned her about her identity, gave her a pamphlet on HIV, and told her to find a specialist (Kelley, 2021).Â
Another example of a transgender patient who was not able to access appropriate quality healthcare occured when Jay Kallio, a transgender man in his 50s living in New York, was discovered to have an aggressive form of breast cancer (Buxton, 2015). After receiving a mammogram and a biopsy, Kallio did not hear from his physician for many weeks. When he finally heard about his diagnosis, it was from the medical professional who performed the biopsy, who was shocked to hear that Kallioâs physician, a surgeon at a major New York hospital, had not informed him of the swiftly-worsening cancer. Kallio struggled to get in contact with this physician, and when he did, the surgeon began the conversation by stating that he wanted to send Kallio to a psychiatrist for his identity. Eventually, Kallio was thankfully able to transfer his case to another surgeon, and even beat the cancer in 2008, though he later succumbed to lung cancer in 2016. (Jay Kallio, n.d.) Ultimately, Kallioâs case is one that serves as a reminder of the very real potential consequences for medical transphobia.
There are, however, some of the most wretched instances of transphobia that involve harassment and blatant cruelty, such as what happened to Tyra Hunter. Another such case is that of Robert Eads, a transgender man who was taken to the emergency room in Georgia in 1996 after passing out. When he was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, he was refused treatment by more than a dozen medical practitioners. By the time he was accepted by the hospital of the Medical College of Georgia in 1997, the cancer had metastasized, and no treatment would have been able to save his life (Ravishankar, 2013). He died in 1999, and his story is told in the 2001 documentary, Southern Comfort, named after a popular transgender gathering that he spoke at after his prognosis (âRobert Eadsâ, 2007). His case is more similar to that of Jay Kallio than Tyra Hunterâs, but Eadsâ slow and painful death was the result of medical transphobia in action.
Even the late transgender activist and author of the well-revered Stone Butch Blues, Leslie Feinberg (who used the neopronouns ze/hir), has discussed the transphobia ze faced after seeking treatment. In zir 2001 work, âTrans Health Crisis: For Us Itâs Life or Deathâ, ze detailed how hospital staff gathered around zir, calling Feinberg âitâ and âmartianâ. Feinberg chose to leave the hospital in question without being treated, and thankfully the illness ze had was not life-threatening, as it had been for Tyra Hunter and Robert Eads (Feinberg, 2001).
Knowing what we do about medical transphobia, how can healthcare professionals enact change within the healthcare system, ensure that transgender patients are treated equitably and ethically, and rebuild trust with the transgender community?
Leslie Feinberg urges in zir aforementioned work that decisions related to transgender patients involve transgender and gender variant people of all kinds. Ze made recommendations large and small, some of which have been implemented already. One of the simplest, which has been picked up by quite a few healthcare professionals, is to ârefer to patients by their first and last names, not Mr. or Ms., sir or ma'am.â Another is a call for institutional standards (Feinberg, 2001), such as the Standards of Care developed by the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH). This comprehensive document acts as a guideline for health care professionals âto provide clinical guidance for health professionals to assist transsexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming people with safe and effective pathways to achieving lasting personal comfort with their gendered selves, in order to maximize their overall health, psychological well-being, and self-fulfillment.â (Standards of Care, 2012, p. 1)
Medical education has also been shown to have significant gaps in coverage of transgender healthcare. Fung et al. performed a qualitative review of Toronto medical residentsâ knowledge and confidence in transgender care in 2016. The results indicated that residents had limited exposure to formal training in transgender medicine, as well as few mentors within their specializations who had enough knowledge to confidently educate or advise on such topics (Fung et al., 2020). If youâd like to learn more about the gaps in transgender health education, Korpaisarn et al.âs Gaps in transgender medical education among healthcare providers reviews a number of studies on the subject and follows with a section on effective interventions, including the use of WPATHâs Global Education Initiative (GEI), which offers training and certification courses on transgender healthcare (Kopaisarn et al., 2018).
Healthcare professionals should stay up to date on legislative matters. Our previous article for Transgender Day of Visibility discussed this at length and included a number of resources for education and for action. If you would like to learn more about the legal side of transgender health, that piece would be a good starting point. Likewise, if you would like to learn more about some terminology related to transgender individuals in a healthcare setting or about how to build rapport with transgender patients or otherwise equitably treat transgender patients, Klein et al.âs Caring for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Persons: What Clinicians Should Know, is another useful resource.
Unfortunately, transphobia may persist in society and healthcare. It is unfortunately not enough to educate ourselves alone on matters of inequity and bias; the best way to support transgender patients is to speak out against transphobia when you see it. There will be times when speaking out is difficult, but when those moments happen, please remember that if even a single person had taken action, Tyra Hunter may have survived.
References
Bowles, S. (1995, December 10) A Death Robbed of Dignity Mobilizes a Community, Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1995/12/10/a-death-robbed-of-dignity-mobilizes-a-community/2ca40566-9d67-47a2-80f2-e5756b2753a6/
Buxton, R. (2015, June 15) This Trans Man's Breast Cancer Nightmare Exemplifies The Problem With Transgender Health Care, HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/transgender-health-care_n_7587506
Feinberg, L. (2001) Trans health crisis: For us it's life or death, American Journal of Public Health, 91(6), p. 897-900. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.91.6.897
Fox, S. D. (1998, December 12) Damages Awarded after Transsexual Woman's Death. Polare. Internet Archive. https://web.archive.org/web/20140324052938/http://www.gendercentre.org.au/resources/polare-archive/archived-articles/damages-awarded-after-transsexual-womans-death.htm
Fung, R., Gallibois, C., Coutin, A., & Wright, S. (2020) Learning by chance: Investigating gaps in transgender care education amongst family medicine, endocrinology, psychiatry and urology residents, Canadian Medical Education Journal, 11(4), p. e19-e28. https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.53009
Jaffee, K. D., Shires, D. A., & Stroumsa, D. (2016) Discrimination and delayed health care among transgender women and men, Medical Care, 54(11), p. 1010-1016. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000000583
Jay Kallio. (n.d.) Compassion and Choices. https://compassionandchoices.org/stories/jay-kallio/
Kelley, J. (2021) Stigma and Human Rights: Transgender Discrimination and Its Influence on Patient Health, Professional Case Management. 26(6), p. 298-303. https://doi.org/10.1097/NCM.0000000000000506
Klein, D. A., Paradise, S. L., & Goodwin, E. T. (2018) Caring for Transgender and Gender-Diverse Persons: What Clinicians Should Know, American Family Physician, 98(11), p. 645-653.
Korpaisarn, S., Safer, J. D., & Tangpricha, V. (2020) Gaps in transgender medical education among healthcare providers: A major barrier to care for transgender persons, Reviews in endocrine & metabolic disorders, 19(3), p. e271-275. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11154-018-9452-5
Main Page. (n.d.) Global Education Institute. WPATH. https://www.wpath.org/gei
National Center for Transgender Equality. (2007, January 16) Robert Eads, National Center for Transgender Equality. https://transequality.org/blog/robert-eads
Ravishankar, M. (2013, January 18) The Story About Robert Eads, The Journal of Global Health. https://archive.ph/20130914005716/http://www.ghjournal.org/jgh-online/the-story-about-robert-eads/
Rodriguez, A., Agardh, A., & Asamoah, B. O. (2017) Self-Reported Discrimination in Health-Care Settings Based on Recognizability as Transgender: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Transgender U.S. Citizens, Archives of Sexual Behavior, 47(4), p. 973-985. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-017-1028-z
Seelman, K. L., ColĂłn-Diaz, M. J. P., LeCroix, R. H., Xavier-Brier, M, & Kattari, L. (2017) Transgender Noninclusive Healthcare and Delaying Care Because of Fear: Connections to General Health and Mental Health Among Transgender Adults, Transgender Health, 2(1), p. 17-28. https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2016.0024
Transgender Day of Rememberance. (2019, February 17) Remembering Our Dead: Tyra Hunter, https://tdor.translivesmatter.info/reports/1995/08/08/tyra-hunter_washington-dc-usa_04a01786
World Professional Association for Transgender Health. (2012) Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People. 7th ed. https://www.wpath.org/media/cms/Documents/SOC%20v7/SOC%20V7_English.pdf
Doctor Rachel L. Levine is a physician and public health official who became the first openly transgender woman to be confirmed for federal office by the United States Senate in 2021. She currently serves as the 17th Assistant Secretary for Health of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. In this role, she oversees the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health, an office in charge of the nation's public health policy. Dr. Levine plays a key role in the nation's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she also hopes to tackle other major public health issues such as the current opioid crisis and the difficulties LGBTQ+ individuals face when searching for and receiving quality health care.
Born on October 28, 1957 in Wakefield, Massachusetts, Dr. Levine graduated from Harvard College in 1979 and received her M.D. from Tulane University School of Medicine in 1983. She completed her medical training in pediatrics at Mount Sinai Medical Center and she continued to practice medicine there until 1993. During her time with Mount Sinai, Dr. Levine focused on the connection between physical and mental health in children and young adults.
In 1993, she moved to Pennsylvania and served as a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. She also founded Penn State Hershey Medical Center's Adolescent Medicine Division and Eating Disorder clinic and she served as the Chief of the Division for several years. She was nominated as Pennsylvania's Physician General in 2015 by Governor Tom Wolf. Her nomination was unanimously confirmed by the state's Senate. She served as the Physician General until 2018 when she was named the state's Secretary of Health. Dr. Levine tackled many public health crises during her tenure as Secretary of Health. One of her biggest initiatives focused on the high number of opioid overdoses. Under her leadership, she authorized law enforcement agents to carry the anti-overdose drug Naloxone that could be administered on the scene. This initiative also allowed Pennsylvanians to purchase Naloxone from a pharmacy without a prescription from a doctor.
Dr. Levine uses her expertise and voice to speak on health inequality issues that impact marginalized communities, such as the LGBTQ+ community. In an interview with ABC News Prime, Dr. Levine said "I am laser focused on my public health mission....That includes, of course, COVID-19, the increasing number of overdose deaths that we're seeing, health equity and many other programs that we need to work on and achieve in public health....I think it is very important to advocate for equality and health equity for the LGBTQ community." She has given countless talks that address her public health initiatives and ideas and has written articles on her research and experiences in the medical field. In 2017, she was named one of NBC News' #Pride30 for her work in addressing the health disparity the LGTBQ+ community faces and in 2015, she served as the Grand Marshal of the Philadelphia Pride Parade.
In a 2020 interview with Philadelphia magazine, Dr. Levine said "One of my goals, being a state health official--especially being the secretary of health during this very challenging time of a global pandemic--is that people will see me. They'll see me doing my work and doing the very best I can to protect the public health of everyone in Pennsylvania." The article's reporter, Emily Goulet, added "....it's about letting people put a face to something they might not understand, so that they aren't fearful, so that they don't get angry, so that it doesn't lead to hate."
If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Rachel L. Levine, check out the articles listed below or watch this brief ABC News Prime interview.
Want to read some of Dr. Levine's published work? Be sure to explore Himmelfarb Library's catalogue for articles, book chapters and books authored by Dr. Levine!
âDr. Rachel Levine: Trans Youth âNeed to Be Nurtured,â Not Limited from Activities.â YouTube, uploaded by ABC News, 1 June 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WYsOe7wxTo.
Itâs June, and around the world many celebrate diversity and the beauty that comes with being who you are. Pride is not only a month that encourages those who struggle with their own identity to shed any doubt or fears, but it is also a time to remind everyone that there are many of us who are supportive and are wholeheartedly on your side.
Not only do we have a host of organizations who are here to offer help, but Washington D.C. also has clinics that are catered specifically to support those in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, and asexual community.
Did you know, the Whitman-Walker Clinic offers not only medical and gender care, but mental, dental, legal, and youth & family support services as well? With multiple locations within the District, Whitman Walker is an excellent option to any who want quality healthcare in an environment where you will not be judged. Whitman Walker will not pry into your personal life, they are well known for letting you make informed decisions for yourself. GW also collaborates with the Whitman-Walker to train future health care providers via the Healing Clinic through which SMHS students have a unique opportunity to learn and conduct one-on-one HIV & STI testing and counseling at WWH clinic sites, mobile testing vehicles, and special events.
Many additional resources can be found through our catalog. If you are unable to find what you are looking for, you can always contact us at himmelfarb@gwu.edu or set up an appointment with a reference librarian to help you sharpen your research skills!
Wishing you all a joyous and safe Pride filled month from the Himmelfarb library.
Medicine Grand Rounds this Thursday, August 11 will focus on What You Need to Know About Your LGBT Patients. This presentation by Shane Snowdon, MA,  founding director of the Center for LGBT Health & Equity at the University of California San Francisco, will discuss what LGBT people experience in health care â and how providers can be as comfortable and knowledgeable as possible in working with this long-overlooked group of patients.
Learning objectives for this session are:
Attendees will gain a useful knowledge of the background factors that influence LGBT patients' experiences in health care.
Attendees will learn the specific challenges typically faced by LGBT patients in general and by LGBT subgroups, including transgender people, elders and couples.
Attendees will learn personal and individual strategies for providing optimal care to LGBT patients.
Himmelfarb Library provides access to additional resources to support learning on this topic including:
Medicine Grand Rounds this Thursday, August 11 will focus on What You Need to Know About Your LGBT Patients. This presentation by Shane Snowdon, MA,  founding director of the Center for LGBT Health & Equity at the University of California San Francisco, will discuss what LGBT people experience in health care â and how providers can be as comfortable and knowledgeable as possible in working with this long-overlooked group of patients.