Health connector program helps transgender and non-binary patients find affirming healthcare providers
People who are transgender or non-binary report experiencing significant discrimination in health care settings that may lead them to avoid seeking care.
De’Shay Thomas, PhD, LGSW, a social worker in the M Health Fairview comprehensive gender care program, is a volunteer with a group of employees who are trying to improve healthcare experiences for marginalized groups. The M Health Fairview Transgender and Non-Binary Community Health Connector Program aims to help support transgender and gender non-conforming patients navigate their healthcare.
“For gender non-conforming folks, there’s a tendency not to seek healthcare or to delay care until it’s unbearable due to past negative experiences,” Thomas said. “Some folks would rather not see a medical provider at all just to avoid any possible harm. As connectors, we understand that delays and avoidance of care is tied to the history of U.S. healthcare systems – a history that has caused a lot of harm and trauma to our trans and gender expansive communities and because of this, we aim to make care more accessible.”
Volunteers in the health connector program work together to connect patients to compassionate healthcare providers in primary care and other specialties. In this model, social work team members serve as a liaison to assist patients in accessing care in our large complex health system. Patients who are seeking gender affirming services can get referred into the Comprehensive Gender Care Program.
But gender care goes beyond transition-related healthcare services. The connectors help transgender people find providers for their non-transitional-related healthcare needs. The connectors maintain a network of providers who are committed to listening to and hearing the voices of patients and to being responsive to what each individual patient needs. The network includes all areas of healthcare, including gynecology, cardiology, and mental health.
This is important because 24% of survey respondents who are transgender reported that they did not see a doctor when needed in the past 12 months due to fear of mistreatment, according to the National Center for Transgender Equality. Of those who did seek healthcare, 48% had at least one negative experience related to their gender identity. Some of these harmful experiences include being misgendered, verbal or physical abuse, or being refused care all together.
Thomas acknowledges that the connector program alone cannot eliminate bias in healthcare, but it serves as a buffer to lessen the negative impact that our healthcare system can have on marginalized folks. For Thomas, progress toward more equitable care is one of her core values.
“For me, my work as a healthcare provider is all about advocacy and a deep commitment to embodying trustworthiness and accountability in the work that I do,” Thomas said. “A lot of my commitment in making health care accessible comes from witnessing the harm that’s happened not only to patients but to many of my friends and loved ones. It’s so fulfilling to see people have positive experiences receiving care.”
In addition to connecting patients to providers, Thomas also works as a social worker in the gender care clinic. She helps explain the process for getting gender affirming surgical care, which can include coordinating across healthcare providers and translating insurance policies into plain language. Sometimes she even petitions insurance companies to pay for care on the patient’s behalf. This is especially rewarding for Thomas who once helped a patient whose gender-affirming care was denied.
“I wanted to figure out a way to really support our patients, so I came up with an idea to write an advocacy letter to help overturn an insurance denial,” she said. “To do this, I referenced the insurance policy and evidence-based research articles. I pointed out that denying surgical care was not in alignment with their policy or current research and was ultimately discriminatory. I was so excited when I learned that insurance decided to overturn the denial approve the patient for surgery. The patient was also overjoyed to hear this news too.”
If you are a M Health Fairview healthcare provider or a patient and would like to know more about the Transgender and Nonbinary Community Health Connector Program, please contact the program coordinator Dr. LeeAnn Bera at 612-624-9499.
