QUESTION
Council Member Schulman Asks DOH about Care for LGBTQ Individuals
1:06:24
·
153 sec
Council Member Lynn Schulman inquires about measures by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to counter discrimination against LGBTQ individuals in healthcare. Dr. Michelle Morse highlights the updated internal guidance on data collection for LGBTQIA New Yorkers and the importance of sexual health clinics as inclusive resources. Discussion also touches on how budget cuts impacted some clinic operations.
Speaker 2
1:06:24
The question is often LGBTQ people avoid healthcare facilities due to historical discrimination and violence faced in these spaces, but when they do try to access these spaces.
1:06:34
They're often once again receiving an adequate care because once the sexual orientation or gender identity are revealed, physicians solely focus on this aspect and relate their symptoms back to sexuality and gender.
1:06:45
What is DOHMH doing to push back against this mentality to ensure the LGBTQ individuals are obtaining adequate care.
Speaker 4
1:06:53
Thank you so much for the question, and this is an area of serious priority for us at the health department because of our health equity work.
1:07:01
One thing that I can say is that we spent several years actually updating our internal guidance on data collection for people who are LGBTQIA, and that's because There isn't actually a whole lot of great guidance out there on what local health departments should be doing for data collection to make sure that we know what the, you know, sexual identity and gender identity of New Yorkers is.
1:07:28
So we have spent quite a bit of time through our data for equity work and guidance at the health department to make sure we're clearer and have clearer guidance in both how we collect that information and how we record it out.
1:07:43
So, you know, the data part is core to what we do.
1:07:47
We also do service delivery work when it comes to LGBTQI populations through our sexual health clinics.
1:07:54
Our sexual health clinics are a really amazing resource for all New Yorkers, but particularly for people who identify as LGBTQIA, and specifically also for people who are concerned about their sexual health and wanna have a walk in care option.
1:08:14
So our sexual health clinics are either no cost or low cost for all New Yorkers.
1:08:20
They're all their open door policy.
1:08:22
They have walk in appointments or just walk in care and address all kinds of different sexual health and reproductive health needs.
1:08:33
And so that is another space where we really prioritize inclusiveness and really, you know, care that is competent, and thoughtful, and accessible for people who are LGBTQ identifying.
Speaker 2
1:08:48
Didn't some of those sexual health clinics closed because of budget cuts?
1:08:51
Or
Speaker 4
1:08:52
We still have several sexual health clinics that are open, but, yes, some of the services have shifted.