This And That In The News – Health News

"This And That In The News" is about articles in the news that have caught my eye and I want to comment about. There are three articles about health care that caught my attention today.

The first article is about the training of medical students, how training on LGBT patients is almost non-existence…

Medical Schools Pay Less Attention to LGBT Needs: Study
Schools & Degrees
By IBTimes Staff Reporter
September 8, 2011

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals experience health and health care disparities and have specific health care needs.

Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine in the study suggested that the medical schools spend very less time teaching students about the health issues the LGBT community faces.

“It is just five hours in the entire curriculum.”

As many of you know, I do outreach at local universities and colleges, and one of the universities that I do outreach at is a medical school. At the medical school the 2nd year med students get a half hour on “focus on [medical] history taking and rapport building with LGBTQI community.” A half hour panel discussion on “their experiences as LGBTQI individuals with emphasis on interactions (both positive and negative) with healthcare providers and Q & A from students” and then the “Panelists [A few LGBT speakers and me] spend time in small groups with students and faculty (Q & A from students)” for a half hour. That is all the training that they get a total of ninety minutes and that half hour breakout session in small groups is really more like 15 minutes. By the time we walk to the classroom and the students get settled we only have time for one or two questions. So for the 90 minute session we answer maybe six questions total. Whoopi!

The next article is also about the study,

GLBT Issues Absent From Med School Courses
Boomer Health & Lifestyles
Posted by Caitlin Bronson
September 8, 2011

Another overarching concern is that GLBT patients may not have access to care. According to study author Mitchell Lunn of Harvard University, many are reluctant to come to a new doctor because they must face the process of “coming out” again.

“There is a lot of fear about how that is going to go,” Lunn explained in a statement. “The fear of discrimination has pushed some people away from the doctor and some never return.”

Lunn said the findings were particularly concerning because it shows that medical schools are ignoring health factors that affect a growing part of the population. He said that doctors need to be able to ask “potentially embarrassing questions” and have some background in the specific needs of his or her GLBT patients.

This is so true, before I transitioned, I avoided going to a doctor when I had a high fever because I feared that he would ask me why I shaved my body hair. I hate having to go to a new medical facility or doctor, I have to come out to them and go through “Trans 101” to doctor and staff… so much fun [Not]. I know of trans-people who the staff referred to as “it” and refused to treat. I know trans-people who when they were in the hospital, it was like a freak show, all the staff had to come in to her room and see the tranny.

The last article is about diversity,

BlueCross' push for diversity incurs wrath of conservative group
Chattanooga Times Free Press
by Andy Sher
September 8, 2011

NASHVILLE — BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee's inclusion of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender business owners in a push for supplier diversity is generating fire and brimstone from a conservative Christian advocacy group headed by former state Sen. David Fowler.

In an email, the one-time Signal Mountain attorney who is now president of the Family Action Council of Tennessee accuses the Chattanooga-based insurer of having "officially joined the 'culture wars' with a quiet little move."

"Appears that the insurer is trading in its traditional blue for a rainbow of colors," jabbed Fowler, alluding to the color blue BlueCross uses in promotions and the multicolored gay-pride flag.

He cites an Aug. 24 letter BlueCross sent to company suppliers. In it, BlueCross states the company, through its Supplier Diversity Team, is "passionately adopting the spirit of diversity within its supplier business relationships," including lesbian-, gay-, bisexual- and transgender-owned businesses.

David Fowler was the state senator who passed a law banning cities and municipalities from passing an anti-discrimination law that is more inclusive of the state anti-discrimination law, now he wants to control what private businesses can do… hey wait, I thought conservatives were against dictating what private businesses can do. Oh I guess that doesn’t apply to things about the LGBT community.