Diversity in healthcare
continues to be an issue that must be addressed seriously to achieve equality
among all groups. Unfortunately, too many people still experience negative and
discriminatory treatment in their efforts to receive quality healthcare.
Among them are those who are transgender
and gender non-conforming (GNC). Transgender refers to the state of one's gender identity or gender expression not
matching one's assigned sex. Transgender is independent of sexual orientation. Gender nonconformity, is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match
masculine and feminine gender norms.
These groups are recognized by the
American Medical Association.
The National Transgender Discrimination Survey was used in research focused
on anti-transgender and GNC discrimination,
harassment, and victimization within healthcare settings. The influences of
insurance status, level of passing, time of transition, and other
socio-demographic factors were considered. Results indicated more than one
fifth of transgender and GNC individuals of all ages reported healthcare discrimination, harassment, or victimization. Services related to these groups
are often considered to be cosmetic when they are not. Clearly, more cultural
competency training, implementation, and monitoring related to
transgender and GNC individuals are greatly needed.
In this video, Dr. Leigh Dolin, former president of the Oregon Medical
Association, explains problems he has encountered in providing care to these groups such as denial of payment by insurance companies. More recently, Oregon and a few other states have started covering the
cost of reassignment surgery through Medicaid for transgender people, but many
other problems still need to be solved.
Frances Shani Parker, Author
Becoming
Dead Right: A Hospice Volunteer in Urban Nursing Homes is available
in paperback and e-book editions in America and other countries at online and
offline booksellers.
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