Letter to the Editor
San Francisco Chronicle
901 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 777-1111
September 30, 2011
Dear Editor:
Yesterday, you reported that New York is considering Medicaid for transgender surgery and therapy treatment which would cover various expenses for an already at risk population. I am ecstatic to hear such news because the needs LGBT community are often neglected, especially for low-income individuals that fall into this community.
Yet, there are still concerns that I have as an advocate for the health of the LGBT community. First, statistics on transgender population is typically limited or non-existent, not just in New York. In order to fully address disparities, we must know what our population looks like and what needs are demanded. Thus, I think it is pivotal to strengthen the efforts in collecting data to further reduce disparities for the overall LGBT community. In California, where hormone therapy and surgery are already offered to Medicaid patients, the Transgender Law Center offers great models of data collection for transgender communities.
Secondly, if and when this proposal passes, I would also like to see cultural sensitivity programs developed for physicians who are treating transgender individuals. Great stigma and misunderstandings about the transgender community still exists and physicians should be aware of how to meet the needs of this population. In other words, quality of care must be prioritize and also assessed periodically.
In brief, offering services is one part of the equation, but the other part is ensuring that we are sustaining these services and maintaining top-notch quality of care.
Sincerely,
Marwin Yeung
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Hi Marwin,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your opinion and it is very exciting that the transgender community will be able to have this resource. However, I agree with you in that it also greatly concerns me how physicians, clerks, nurses, etc will treat the patients at the hospitals. I would hope to think that everything would be confidential as it mostly is now, but in this case there should be an improvement if possible to health privacy. I am not sure if you have further knowledge on this topic but I was also wondering if this proposal has been talked about at all in other states, especially California?
Best regards,
Paola Garcia