LGBT Patient Care

About the LGBT Patient Care Collaborative

At GHS, we are committed to providing comprehensive and compassionate care for all patients regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. In 2015, the GHS LGBT Patient Care Collaborative was established. This collaborative consists of physicians and other health care providers from various clinical specialties who are committed to providing safe and affirming health care that is responsive to the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender patients and their families.

LGBT Patient Care Collaborative Structure

The LGBT Patient Care Collaborative involves two components:

1. A patient-centered medical home for LGBT patients and their families.
2. A group of providers from various specialties who collaborate with the overall goal of improving the healthcare experience for LGBT people while decreasing healthcare disparities for these patient populations.

The LGBT patient centered medical home resides in the Center for Family Medicine and is designed to be a place for members of the LGBT community to receive compassionate and culturally responsive primary care that is tailored to their individual needs.

The collaborative, led by Dr. Molly Benedum in Family Medicine and the GHS Diversity Department, has three priority areas: provider clinical education, staff sensitivity training, and the development of a supportive clinical environment.

Transgender Patients

According to the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, transgender people report a lack of provider knowledge on transgender care and negative experiences with healthcare. Fifty percent of survey respondents reported having to teach their medical providers about transgender care.
Providers in GHS’ LGBT Patient Care Collaborative have received specialized training on various clinical considerations associated with transgender health care. In addition, transgender individuals seeking Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) can receive this therapy in the primary care setting within GHS’ LGBT patient-centered medical home.

Policies

Every patient has the right to competent, considerate and respectful care in a safe setting that fosters the patient’s comfort and dignity and is free from all forms of abuse and harassment. It is the policy of the Greenville Health System not to engage in discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, age, sex, physical, mental or other disability, medical condition, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, ancestry, marital status, citizenship, status as a veteran, or other non-medically relevant factors.

• GHS’ Non Discrimination Policy
• GHS’ Visitor’s Policy

Recognition

Since 2012, GHS has been named a National Leader in Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). The Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) is the national Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) benchmarking tool that evaluates healthcare facilities’ policies and practices related to the equity and inclusion of their LGBT patients, visitors and employees.

Providers

Pediatric Providers

The following GHS clinical specialists are trained and prepared to work with pediatric LGBT patients. We use a team approach to meet the unique and specific needs of our LGBT pediatric patients.

LGBT Patient Resources

• 10 Things Lesbian Should Discuss with Their Healthcare Provider
• 10 Things Gay Men Should Discuss with Their Healthcare Provider
• 10 Things Bisexuals Should Discuss with Their Healthcare Provider
• 10 Things Transgender Persons Should Discuss with Their Healthcare Provider
• Human Rights Campaign information on Health

Contact Us

Anyone interested in being established as a patient within GHS’ LGBT Patient-Centered Medical Home can schedule appointments by contacting the Center for Family Medicine at 864-455-7800.

For more information about the LGBT Patient Care Collaborative, please contact the GHS Diversity Department at diversity@ghs.org.