Connecting LGBTQ people to positive healthcare providers can save lives, said Jahmila Smith.
Garden State Equality, an Asbury Park-based non-profit organization where Smith and her are trainers and project managers, is an interactive Affirmation Healthcare Map It is intended to make it easier for LGBTQ+ residents of New Jersey to find life-saving care.
“We all deserve quality health care and experience with our providers,” Smith said. “Health is scary enough already, so I don’t think finding a positive provider should be a complicated process.
Nearly 140 providers in the state, from therapists to optometrists, are already shown on the interactive map.
How do maps work?
The Affirming Healthcare Map allows users to filter their search for providers by selecting from a list of specialties and entering an address and distance radius. Placement on the map can be opted in by the provider or specified by the patient.
Smith said it’s a “one-stop-shop” to make finding providers easier and more accessible for LGBTQ+ people.
What is the provider’s reason for being LGBTQ positive?
LGBTQ+ identity-affirming providers “understand the complexities of being an LGBTQ person and the experiences we face,” Smith said. LGBTQ-friendly facilities don’t just involve professionals who work most closely with patients, such as doctors and nurses, Smith said. They include everyone who participates in the practice, starting with knowledgeable front desk staff who address people by their correct names and pronouns.
“It’s a multi-layered, hierarchical approach … ensuring patients are greeted with knowledge and compassion right at their door,” says Smith.
Providers can sign up to list their work on the Affirming Healthcare Map by completing a short form. Smith said Garden State’s equality team reviews applicants to ensure that caregiver websites indicate they provide LGBTQ-friendly services. Patients can also nominate caregivers to provide feedback.
Some providers on the map have received training from Garden State Equality staff. Smith and team are considering asking providers to participate in training on Maps, but know that availability for caregivers will be difficult.
Early in the map-making process, Smith noticed a lack of LGBTQ+ cultural competence among providers, and very little medical training focused on these communities. Smith said it is important to continue learning about cultural competencies and LGBTQ-affirming care.Providers can learn more Training on the Garden State Equality map web page.
why now?
Smith says now is an important time to support LGBTQ+ people. 7.1% of US adults identify as LGBT last year, and news program Many have discovered new aspects of their identity during the pandemic. At the same time, access to particularly gender-affirming care for transgender people come under attack nationwide.
Access to mental health, in particular, is “the starting point for people to feel comfortable and to express themselves freely,” Smith said, as many have embraced their LGBTQ+ identity. increase.
what’s next?
The map was completed after a five-year process that included data collection to identify providers in New Jersey. Smith said the process will continue as the team considers specific criteria for evaluating prospective providers seeking inclusion on the map.
Smith hopes to see transgender and nonbinary people on the map, especially care-savvy healthcare providers in places that offer young patients and gender-affirming surgeries. She also hopes to expand her list of mental health services and providers that support LGBTQ+ older adults.
“The more information we have, the more services we can advertise on the site, because you never know who it might be useful to,” Smith said.
Sammy Gibbons is a culture reporter for the USA TODAY Network Northeast. Subscribe now or activate your digital account for unlimited access to the news that matters most.
Email: sgibbons@gannett.com; Twitter: @sammykgibbons