The Multnomah Board of County Commissioners Thursday proclaimed the week of March 28 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health Awareness Week. The event was timed to honor a county-sponsored biennial conference on LGBT health.
“It’s my delight to sponsor this proclamation,” Commissioner Judy Shiprack said. “During my nearly eight years on the board we have seen tremendous progress.”
Same-sex couples won the right to marry, and the right to coverage under a same-sex partner’s health insurance policy. In Multnomah County, government buildings all have gender-neutral bathrooms and local schools have followed suit. Treatment options have expanded for transgender residents in Oregon, where, after a long fight by queer rights activists, the Oregon Health Plan now covers medical procedures such as gender reassignment surgery.
And Cascade Aids Project, a team of case managers for people living with HIV and AIDS, plans to open a primary care clinic to serve the broader queer community, with specialists in transgender health and mental health, and an integrated pharmacy, CAP's communications director Peter Parisot announced during Thursday’s board meeting
The health center will break ground this summer at S.E. 23rd Street and Belmont.
“With this clinic, CAP is committed to removing barriers, improving access, and most importantly providing quality healthcare for all LGBTQ patients in the Portland Metro area,” Parisot said.
Despite swift political change in the past decade, there’s still a striking need for a clinic like CAP’s, a place where patients don’t have to brace themselves for the possibility of being judged, mistreated or turned away.
“Our youth continue to experience increased rates of violence and suicide,” said Dayna Morrison of LGBTQ Health Coalition of the Columbia-Willamette. Queer people of color are at higher risk of diabetes. Queer men of color are more likely to contract HIV. And the disparities facing transgender women are some of the most dire.
“As we remove barriers, we must recognize the stigma is very real and that interpersonal interactions with patients, front desk staff and providers continue to discourage individuals from seeking services,” she said.
That’s why the Meaningful Care Conference is so important, she said. This year’s meeting brings together 45 organizations and more than 400 providers for sessions on topics including aging, safe schools, and the latests developments in hormone therapies.
Kim Toevs, who oversees the sexually-transmitted disease program for the Multnomah County Health Department said the support of the conference is one example of the efforts her colleagues have directed to improve health outcomes for LGBT patients.
Officials are examining ways to better identify patient gender and sexual orientation to improve each patient’s quality of care. The county’s gay men sexual health program has become a national model. Health educators are targeting the LGBT community in tobacco cessation outreach, and staff are ensuring that queer teens are included in sexual health education.
“The county health department continues to expand our racial equity work,” Toevs said. “We’ve got a good track record and we’ve got a lot of increased focus on that, both in direct services, partnerships with community partners and policy work. I’m so proud to be part of that. We’ve got great people doing great LGBT work.”
