Resources for Patients and Providers

Brigham LGBT News

BWH Bulletin: Improving the Experience for LGBT Patients
“On June 6, Brigham and Women's Hospital added “LGBT Health” as a clinical interest in 65 providers’ profiles in the Physician Directory. The listings – the first wave of a phased rollout – will enable LGBT patients to easily find clinicians who have demonstrated an understanding of and sensitivity to their health concerns...” Read more.

BWH Bulletin: Improving Care for Transgender Patients
“After Erica Tobias finished filling in an intake form for her first endocrinology appointment at a clinic in Western Massachusetts, she delivered the paperwork to the practice assistant with a small, but important, request: 'My name is Richard, but if there is some way you could refer to me as Erica, I would appreciate it' she said.” Read more.

BWH Bulletin: ‘Coming Out Still Matters’: Celebrating the Brigham’s LGBT Community
“On Oct. 11, BWHers came together for the Brigham’s second annual National Coming Out Day celebration.” Read more.

LGBT Community and Regional Resources

Massachusetts Department of Health Services LGBT Youth Health
This page lists all regional and local resources for LGBT youth, which are great to have on hand for patients. Many of the resources are Massachusetts- or region-specific.

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) Greater Boston
PFLAG supports and educates parents, family, and friends of LGBT persons and LGBT persons like. Locally, they maintain a 24-hour helpline (866-427-3524) and should be the first stop for LGBT persons, family, and friends who could benefit from better social support.

Comprehensive

The Fenway Institute's National LGBT Health Education Center
The Fenway Institute offers online learning modules, monthly webinars (and archives), and online courses for CME/CEU credit. Under Publications, see their briefs, especially “Improving the Health Care of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) People: Understanding and Eliminating Health Disparities.” They have published an excellent textbook dedicated to LGBT health, The Fenway Guide to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health (2008), ISBN-13: 978-1930513952.

Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA)
Under Resources/Publications, see their “Guidelines for Care of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Patients.” GLMA prepares Top Ten guides for LGBT patients to bring up with their physicians (see Resources/For Patients). They also offer an online CME course on tobacco use and interventions for LGBT persons.

Institute of Medicine
An IOM committee conducted a review assessing the state of the science on the health status of LGBT populations; identified research gaps and opportunities related to LGBT health; and outlined a research agenda that is assisting the NIH in enhancing its research efforts in this area. Search the IOM website for the report “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's LGBT Health page

Mental Health

LGBT Mental Health Syllabus
This website was created by the LGBT Issues Committee of the Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry (GAP) to teach psychiatry residents about caring for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex patients. Impressive in both its breadth and depth, it should be useful to all health and mental health trainees and practitioners.

The LGBT Casebook (2012)
Edited by Petros Levounis, MD, MA, Jack Drescher, MD, and Mary E. Barber, MD, this book is an elegantly-written, rich resource that every psychiatrist should own. It is a masterfully organized exploration of everyday problems, concerns, and solutions for the professional treating LGBT persons with psychiatric diagnoses. Every physician can benefit from this casebook’s excellent treatment of the unique social conditions of sexual minorities. ISBN-13: 978-1585624218.

Transgender Health

World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH)
WPATH is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to evidence-based care, education, research, advocacy, public policy, and respect in transgender and transsexual health. Their Standards of Care for the Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender-Nonconforming People, version 7 is available free on their website.

UCSF - Center of Excellence for Transgender Health
The Center’s primary care protocols (under Routine Care) are clearly organized by topic.

TransLine
TransLine is a national online transgender medical consultation service that offers health care providers up-to-date transgender clinical information and free individualized case consultation across a broad range of clinical transgender issues.