Dear Providers:

As you may know, June is Pride Month for the LGBTQ+ community. Unfortunately, due to COVID and social distancing, Pride events have all been cancelled, but Pride month continues to be an important celebration for the LGBTQ+ community and their allies.

Although social acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people in the United States has been improving, LGBTQ+ individuals continue to face stigma and discrimination not only in the community, but also the medical system. These negative experiences result in multiple health disparities for LGBTQ+ populations, including higher rates of depression, obesity, HIV and substance abuse, and lower rates of cancer screenings, combined with a lack of access to culturally-affirming and informed health care.

A welcoming smile and open questions go a long way, but provider education is a key to improved care for the LGBTQ+ community. I encourage you all to check out the resources below. The National LGBT Health Education is a program of the Fenway Institute in Boston, and has a number of excellent and free learning resources that can provide CME credits. Plus, using these resources helps us maintain our Leader status on the HRC Health Equality Index.

Click here for the free LGBTQ+ CME resources

Here is Valley's LGBTQ+ Care and Services web page. If you have an interest or specialize in LGBTQ+ care, and aren't yet listed as an aligned provider, please write to provider_outreach@valleymed.org to have this added to your provider profile.

Please let me know if you have any questions, and Happy Pride!

Dan Brelsford, MD
(he/him/his)
Renton Highlands Primary Care
dan_brelsford@valleymed.org