Event helps future providers consider LGBTQ+ health care needs

Pennsylvania College of Technology’s School of Nursing & Health Sciences Diversity Taskforce, in collaboration with Nate Woods Jr., special assistant to the president for inclusion transformation, recently hosted a “Lunch & Learn” to explore LGBTQ+ issues in health care.

During the event, posters – several of them developed by human services & restorative justice student Ivy M. Baker, of Williamsport – displayed statistics that highlight some of the barriers LGBTQ+ individuals face in accessing health care.

“People are uncomfortable, afraid that they won’t be treated as they should be,” Dr. Drew Haussmann, a family physician for AR Health in Williamsport, told the group. “But we want them to be healthy.”

At the center of the Lunch & Learn were group discussions that encouraged attendees to explore the stigmas faced by LGBTQ+ individuals and how they can negatively impact health; strategies that health care professionals can implement to promote the health and wellness of their LGBTQ+ patients; and actionable items that could be implemented on campus, in students’ clinical and laboratory settings, and in the community to ensure the health and wellness needs of the LGBTQ+ community are being met.

“The idea for this event came from a discussion the Nursing & Health Sciences Diversity Taskforce had with several LGBTQ students here at Penn College,” explained Valerie A. Myers, dean of nursing and health sciences. “Hearing their lived experiences made us realize that there was a need for educating current and future health care workers about the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. Our hope is that this event shed some light on the challenges LGBTQ+ individuals face and encourages health care workers to make positive changes to promote the health and wellness of their LGBTQ+ patients.”

In addition to discussions, several organizations provided information and resources: AIDS Resource Alliance; New Covenant United Church of Christ; Radiance Wellness Group; The Long Road, a traveling history exhibit by the Central Pennsylvania LGBT Center; and West Branch Pride.

The event was attended by students, faculty and program directors in the School of Nursing & Health Sciences, and community members.

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