Training for transgender and gender-diverse patient care underway
To help WVU Medicine continue to provide the best possible care for all patients and employees, a group of about 70 providers and employees are participating in gender-affirming care training that will help create a positive shift in the healthcare of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people. Open training sessions for additional employees to participate will also be offered on March 13 and May 7.
Training began in February with leadership, providers, and employees who volunteered or were elected by leaders to act as “champions” for TGD people within their departments. Champions will attend three trainings, two hours each, to help them assess their departments and develop a training plan, so that all providers and staff members have the information they need to offer high-quality care for TGD patients and employees.
This gender-affirming care initiative began last year with WVU Medicine leaders, behavioral medicine faculty, and human resources staff coming together to discuss healthcare barriers that TGD people experience and how the organization could adapt policies and procedures to improve services for patients and employees. The team included Ron Pellegrino, MD, WVU Medicine-WVU Hospitals chief operating officer; Stephen Hoffmann, MD, vice president of clinical integration for the WVU Health System; Molly Fechter-Leggett, PsyD, WVU Medicine clinical psychologist; and Colleen Sybert, senior director of WVU Medicine Human Resources.
Dr. Fechter-Leggett is leading the gender-affirming care initiative at WVU Medicine as the special projects director for transgender health. “A lot of transgender and gender-diverse people avoid accessing healthcare, even basic primary care, because of their fear of stigma or discrimination by healthcare providers,” Dr. Fechter-Leggett said. “We want all transgender West Virginians to have access to providers who are thoughtful, affirming, and able to provide specific care to address the health disparities they face.”
Ruben Hopwood, PhD, MDiv, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, is leading the WVU Medicine gender-affirming care training sessions. Dr. Hopwood is a nationally known educator, author, and licensed psychologist with 14 years of clinical experience in the gender-diverse community. He is the director of Hopwood Counseling & Consulting, and previously served as manager of the Fenway Transgender Health Program, a pioneering clinical and training organization in LGBTQ healthcare.
Gender-affirming care training consists of helping WVU Medicine providers and staff understand more about the overall TGD population and the healthcare obstacles they may experience. Participants learn how to address TGD patients and employees with relevant terminology, and improve skills for sensitive and responsive interactions.
“Many transgender and gender-diverse patients are leaving West Virginia or seeking medical care outside of the state because they cannot access the care they need,” Fechter-Leggett said. “WVU Medicine has an opportunity to become a leader in gender-affirming care and provide access to the care that they need right here in our home state.”
“Excellence in Gender-Affirming Care” training sessions will be open to all WVU Medicine employees on Friday, March 13, from 10 – 11 am, noon – 1 pm, and 3 – 4:30 pm (geared toward clinical staff) in the Bruce McClymonds Conference Center, located on the first floor of J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital. Training will also be offered on Thursday, May 7, from noon – 1:30 pm (geared toward call center and registration) and 3 – 4 pm in the Eye Institute auditorium.
Walk-ins are welcome or register by email at transhealth@wvumedicine.org. If training space fills up, employees will be able to participate online through WebEx, a video/audio conferencing system. WebEx information will be emailed to you after registration.
To listen to the “Excellence in Gender-Affirming Care” training session held in February, visit this WebEx link, and copy and paste PmmB2Xix into the password field.