This publication is designed to support health centers in using telehealth programs to increase access to patient care and services for LGBTQIA+ people. Telehealth, in which technology is used to provide health care services at a distance, has become an essential approach to providing patient care and services for underserved communities, including LGBTQIA+ people. Telehealth eliminates geographic restrictions, which increases access to providers who can provide culturally affirming and knowledgeable health care for LGBTQIA+ people. Although telehealth has the potential to improve health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ patients, considerations need to be made to ensure equitable access. The purpose of this publication is to educate health center staff on how to reduce barriers to LGBTQIA+ patient care by improving telehealth programming.
Learning Resources — Publications
Care for Transgender and Gender Diverse Children Whose Parents Are Involved in a Custody Dispute
Custody disputes involving transgender and gender diverse (TGD) children and adolescents require careful consideration due to the unique medical, social, and mental health needs of TGD youth. This is especially the case when one parent is less accepting of the child’s gender exploration/identity than the co-parent. Due to a lack of familiarity within family courts regarding TGD children, harmful misinformation has resulted in the more gender-affirming parent losing physical and/or legal decision-making custody of their TGD child to the non-affirming parent.
- Filed under
- LGBTQIA+ Children and Youth
- Transgender Health
Disaster Equity: Preparedness, Response, and Recovery for LGBTQIA+ Patients of Health Centers
LGBTQIA+ people exist in all communities and are incredibly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, ability, etc. Importantly, LGBTQIA+ people are underrepresented in disaster and climate infrastructure and policies, yet are overrepresented in populations that are known to be the most impacted by natural disasters—such as those burdened with chronic illness, who are unhoused, or have limited access to healthcare.
- Filed under
- Emergency Preparedness & Response
Glosario de términos LGBTQIA+ para equipos de atención a la salud
Language is powerful and influences many of our interactions. As a health care provider, becoming familiar with terms used by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) communities can help you provide these patients with the highest quality care. In this glossary, you will find some of the terms most relevant to the health care of LGBTQIA+ people translated into Spanish. This glossary does not have every term used by the community, but you will find terms most commonly used when patients are accessing health care. It is important to keep in mind that language can change over time, and so this glossary will be update periodically to reflect those changes.
- Filed under
- Introduction to LGBTQIA+ Health
PrEP Action Kit (2024)
This PrEP Action Kit includes clinical resources to help providers incorporate PrEP into their practices. Including helpful resources such as tips on taking a comprehensive sexual history, frequently asked questions about PrEP and information on PrEP prescribing and monitoring. This action kit is an essential resource for all providers treating LGBTQIA+ patients or patients at risk of HIV infection.
Physical Activity and Sports Participation for Transgender and Gender Diverse People
This publication is designed to support health centers in promoting physical activity and sports participation for transgender and gender diverse (TGD) patients. TGD people experience multiple mental and physical health disparities throughout the life course, including increased cardiometabolic risk. Despite these increased risks, preventive health guidelines rarely address the unique needs of TGD people. In this publication, we therefore provide evidence-informed guidance for clinical care teams to support the health and wellness of their TGD patients. Clinicians will learn to:
- Filed under
- Transgender Health
Rapid Initiation of Antiretroviral Therapy for People with HIV
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) is recommended for all people with HIV to improve and preserve their health and to reduce transmission of HIV to others. Increasingly, rapid ART starts have become a clinical and public health priority, with the Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents recommending that ART be started as soon as possible after HIV diagnosis. Definitions of what constitutes a rapid start of ART vary; the most stringent is also termed immediate ART and occurs when ART is prescribed on the same day an HIV diagnosis is delivered. This fact sheet reviews the potential benefits and rationale for rapid ART starts, outlines potential pitfalls, and offers practical, evidence-based tips on ART selection for rapid starts.
- Filed under
- HIV/STI Treatment and Prevention
Cultural Adaptation of Measures and Tools for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Data Collection
This publication was designed as a companion resource to Ready, Set, Go! Guidelines and Tips for Collecting Patient Data on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) to explain the importance of SOGI data collection to identify and address the unique needs of sexual and gender minority patient populations, with special consideration for culturally and linguistically diverse patients who are part of LGBTQIA+ communities. This guide will help healthcare staff to identify procedures to translate and adapt SOGI data collection questions and patient education materials for multilingual patient populations accurately and affirmatively, with considerations for Spanish-speaking LGBTQIA+ patients as an example. The recommendations in this publication will assist health teams in planning next actions to implement culturally and linguistically affirming practices that are community informed and integrated throughout the health experiences of multilingual, multiethnic, and racially diverse patients.
Transgender Health & Medical-Legal Partnerships
In 2018, we published our fact sheet, Transgender Health & Medical-Legal Partnerships. Though the approach to using medical-legal partnerships to meet the needs of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people remains a core tool for addressing the social determinants of health for this population, the legal and legislative landscape has changed drastically in recent years. In addition to navigating insurance coverage; medical decision-making; legal name and gender marker changes; and discrimination in education, employment, housing/shelter, and public accommodations; TGD people now face stepped-up efforts to restrict their access to health care more broadly, including denial of gender-affirming care, and restrictions on accessing public spaces and speech.
- Filed under
- Transgender Health
LGBTQIA+ Glossary of Terms for Health Care Teams
Becoming familiar with terms used by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and other sexual and gender minorities (LGBTQIA+) can help you provide patients with the highest quality care. In this glossary, you will find terms relevant to the health care and identities of LGBTQIA+ people.
- Filed under
- Introduction to LGBTQIA+ Health
