It's Pride Month!

To acknowledge and celebrate Pride, TBDHU is encouraging healthcare providers to participate in some professional development around health care equity for 2sLBGTQIA+ patients and clients.
We’d like to highlight a few resources and trainings:

Rainbow Health Ontario offers LGBTQ Foundations for healthcare and social service providers. Make a free account and sign up here to complete the course, which is a pre-requisite to other useful courses such as Trans 101, Removing the Barriers: Making Your Organization LGBT2SQ Friendly, and more clinical courses on transition-related surgeries and transition-related hormone therapy.
Check out Klinic Manitoba’s Trans Health Klinic health care provider resources.
Watch Transgender Health Care Horror Stories from The Oregonian.

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Gender Affirming Healthcare

Gender affirming healthcare can include many things, including medical and non-medical treatment, and research has shown that quality, evidence-based gender affirmation methods can help transgender and gender expansive youth find their true identity, reduce suicide ideation and attempts, and improve their self-worth. Many trans and non-binary Canadians don’t feel that they can approach their primary care provider to talk about gender-affirming healthcare for reasons including environments perceived as unsafe, experiences of discrimination, and lack of supports and awareness of supports which are amplified by intersecting identities. As well, the COVID-19 pandemic interrupted the continuum of care for many trans and non-binary people who experienced high levels of unmet general and mental health care needs during the pandemic. See data from Trans PULSE Canada.
Many health care providers feel unprepared to support trans and non-binary patients due to lack of support, guidance, and/or information. If you feel this way, please check out the following supportive resources:

Rainbow Health Ontario has a list of resources and supports for providers including:
- My Guide to Caring for Trans and Gender-Diverse Patients,
- Guidelines for Gender Affirming Primary Care with Trans and Non-Binary Patients
- Quick Reference Guide
- Trans Health Mentorship Call regular teleconference for clinicians to connect with peers, and much more.
Trans Health Knowledge Base | Rainbow Health Ontario
Toolkit for primary care providers | Trans Care BC
Trans Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Promotion Toolkit | SPECTRUM and Wisdom2Action

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Disordered Eating in LGBTQ2s+ Populations

LGBTQ2s+ identified people experience unique stressors that may contribute to the development of an eating disorder. Eating disorders disproportionately impact some segments of the LGBTQ2s+ community. To find out more, read:

Eating Disorders in LGBTQ+ Populations | National Eating Disorders Association
Eating Disorders in LGBT2SQ Adults and Adolescents: Evidence Review and Practical Guide | Rainbow Health Ontario

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HIV in Thunder Bay’s 2sgbtMSM Populations

Thunder Bay is still grappling with increased rates of HIV cases. One of the populations most at risk for HIV are Two Spirit, gay, bisexual, transgender, and men who have sex with men.

One major barrier to care is often stigma experienced at the point of care. In 2018, TBDHU found that stigma around an HIV diagnosis can negatively impact an individual’s willingness to be tested and seek treatment for the infection. This stigma often arises from a lack of knowledge of the disease as well as stigma towards those who are often impacted.

For more information on HIV in Thunder Bay and reporting obligations, visit TBDHU’s website.
Also, see CATIE’s HIV Basics.

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Resource Hubs for LGBTQ2s+ Inclusive Healthcare

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TBDHU and NWCHC’s Sexuality and Gender Equity Network (SAGE)

TBDHU will be launching an updated version of the Sexuality and Gender Equity Network (SAGE) later this year. To be on the mailing list for this networking and information-sharing group, sign up here! An email will go out to all when SAGE is up and running with more information.

In the meantime, check out TBDHU’s LGBTQ2s+ Resources webpage. Scroll down to find Resources for Professionals, which lists links to resources for healthcare professionals, social service providers, workplaces, and more.

If you have any questions about the SAGE Network, please email SAGE@TBDHU.com

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