Main Line Health opens LGBTQ Inclusive Care
Provides for specialized primary and preventative care
BRYN MAWR » Main Line Health has formally launched a specialized primary and preventative care program for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ) community, from childhood through senior years.
LGBTQ Inclusive Care has launched at two locations at Main Line Health — Bryn Mawr Family Practice, 135 South Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 200, Bryn Mawr; and Main Line HealthCare Family Medicine at Paoli, 255 W. Lancaster Ave., Medical Office Bldg. 3, Suite 330, Paoli.
LGBTQ Inclusive Care providers and staff at the practices have undergone specific training to understand the unique needs of the LGBTQ community and to provide highly competent care.
“Our LGBTQ Inclusive Care program will help to address disparities in care within the LGBTQ community, and will deliver culturally competent care for their unique health care needs in a comfortable, respectful environment,” Jack Lynch, president and CEO, Main Line Health said in a press release. “I am incredibly proud of our team for their commitment to bringing this program to life, and for making it their steadfast mission to create an environment where everyone can receive the care they need and deserve, and feel respected and included while doing so.”
According to Joanne Glusman, MSW, LSW, Bryn Mawr Family Practice, Main Line Health, some people in the LGBTQ community avoid health care providers completely, “either because they have been refused care or have been treated disrespectfully — or they are afraid of that happening.”
“We want people to have relationships with healthcare systems and providers. We don’t want them to be afraid to go. They don’t necessarily know if the provider is a safe person to talk with,” she said.
As an example, she referenced a young transgender patient with an ankle injury. There was a question about whether the injury was a sprain or a fracture.
“It took three days to get that person to trust and get care — afraid of being disrespected or being called by the old name,” she explained.
Main Line Health held a ribbon cutting at the end of June to mark the formal launch of LGBTQ Inclusive Care, but the work to get to that point has been several years in the making.
In January 2013, Main Line Health launched a Diversity, Respect & Inclusion initiative across the system, and has since made it a core value of the organization.
“We are working to ensure
that we are making our business decisions through the lens of providing the most inclusive environment for our patients and our staff,” said Bridget Therriault, Main Line Health spokeswoman.
The initiative included a steering committee with leaders from across the system leading to workers in all departments focused on all practices Therriault said, adding that the initiative has gained momentum as Main Line Health has worked to provide the most inclusive care it can.
“This is one more example of that,” she said of LGBTQ Inclusive Care.
“It feels like it was a natural evolution of the work we were doing. The ribbon cutting was an announcement of the formal program but a lot was put in place leading up to that event,” said Glusman.
Preparing for the launch of the LGBTQ Inclusive Care program has included the development of training for all the providers and employees of the practices initially involved.
“We wanted to make sure that we had the training in place so we didn’t make an announcement without having people ready,” Glusman said, adding that providers and staff at each primary care practice underwent up to four hours of training — depending on their role.
Patients going into either office — Bryn Mawr Family Practice or Main Line HealthCare Family Medicine at Paoli will see small signs on the desk with the LGBTQ Inclusive Care logo.
“It says ‘provider,’ which means the practice has gone through a process to be inclusive and welcoming,” Glusman said.
Part of that inclusive process includes what questions are asked of a patient, how they are asked and how health records are filled out.
Glusman said providers and medical assistants need to know how to ask a question without making some common assumptions about patients.
“We should be asking people about their gender, pronouns — how they like to be referred to. It’s okay to ask a person what they want to be called,” she said. “We’re making sure folks dealing with patients realize the intersection of all these things and are speaking the right language.
“My experience is, if you are good at being inclusive — it opens your lens to be more inclusive to everybody.”
Main Line Health’s The LGBTQ Inclusive Care started with the two practices, but will roll out across the system. The formal training module will be used as the program expands.
“We’re identifying other practices for immediate expansion and then will do formal communication to all the practices with information on initiating the program at their practice,” Therriault added.
For information about LGBTQ Inclusive Care, visit mainlinehealth.org/ lgbtq. Patients can also call a confidential, secure phone line to leave a message for the program coordinator, at 484-337-LGBT (5428).
Main Line Health is a not-for-profit health system serving portions of Philadelphia and its western suburbs. A team of more than 10,000 employees and 2,000 physicians care for patients throughout the Main Line Health system.
For more information about Main Line Health visit mainlinehealth.org.
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