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Jessica Xavier, Department of Public and Community Health, University of Maryland, P.O. Box 65, Kensington, MD 20895, 301-949-6049, jessicax@earthlink.net
Like everyone else, transgender people have health care needs that include screening for systemic diseases. Unlike others, however, transgender people also have health care needs unique to their transgender status. Due to pervasive social stigmatization of gender variance, transgender people encounter multiple barriers to access to all forms of health care (as reported in various needs assessment and risk behavioral surveys conducted in the U.S. over the past decade). Moreover, knowledge about transgender care itself is very limited, since it is not taught in most schools in the U.S.. Those who lack the economic means to access Transgender Care are reportedly self-medicating, obtaining their hormones on the streets or through the internet, or are injecting silicone in order to change their appearance. This presentation will discuss in detail the various components of Transgender Care, with a focus on the provision of Transgender Hormonal Therapy, its associated risks and principal access models. Barriers to access by patients and to service provision by providers will be identified and discussed interactively with participants, with strategies identified to overcome these barriers.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, participants will be able to
Keywords: Health Care Access, Underserved Populations
Related Web page: www.gender.org/resources/dge/gea01011.pdf
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.