Advancing LGBT Health Care Policies and Clinical Care Within a Large Academic Health Care System: A Case Study

Culturally competent health care is especially important among sexual and gender minority patients because poor cultural competence contributes to health disparities. There is a need to understand how to improve health care quality and delivery for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) vete...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of homosexuality 2017-01, Vol.64 (10), p.1411-1431
Main Authors: Ruben, Mollie A., Shipherd, Jillian C., Topor, David, AhnAllen, Christopher G., Sloan, Colleen A., Walton, Heather M., Matza, Alexis R., Trezza, Glenn R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bisexuality
Boston
Case studies
Clinical competence
Clinical training
Community health care
Competence
Cultural competence
Cultural Competency
Delivery of Health Care
Female
Gender identity
Group health insurance
Health care industry
Health care policy
Health disparities
Health initiatives
Health needs
Health Policy
Health status
Homosexuality
Humans
Lesbianism
LGBT health
LGBTQ people
Male
Mental Health
Mental health care
Mental health services
Organizational Case Studies
Patients
Professional training
Quality of care
Sexual and Gender Minorities
Sexual Behavior
Sexual orientation
transgender health
Transgender Persons
Transsexualism
Transsexuality
Veterans
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Summary:Culturally competent health care is especially important among sexual and gender minority patients because poor cultural competence contributes to health disparities. There is a need to understand how to improve health care quality and delivery for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) veterans in particular, because they have unique physical and mental health needs as both LGBT individuals and veterans. The following article is a case study that focuses on the policy and clinical care practices related to LGBT clinical competency, professional training, and ethical provision of care for veteran patients in the VA Boston Healthcare System. We apply Betancourt et al.'s (2003) cultural competence framework to outline the steps that VA Boston Healthcare System took to increase cultural competency at the organizational, structural, and clinical level. By sharing our experiences, we aim to provide a model and steps for other health care systems and programs, including other VA health care systems, large academic health care systems, community health care systems, and mental health care systems, interested in developing LGBT health initiatives.
ISSN:0091-8369
1540-3602
DOI:10.1080/00918369.2017.1321386