WYOMING, MI – Displaying a Pride Flag, collecting data and holding a mammography clinic are some of the efforts confronting gaps in healthcare for the LGBTQ+ population in West Michigan.
Unfair treatment, lack of experience or bias from healthcare providers can lead to disparities in care and individuals putting off treatment, said Rhae-Ann Booker, Ph.D., vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion at Metro Health in Wyoming.
“If you think about the importance of early intervention and preventative care, when it comes to breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, stress, obesity, and a host of other chronic illnesses — of which we are seeing higher rates among LGBT communities — delaying and avoiding treatment, there are significant consequences to that,” Booker said.
The month of June is recognized as Pride Month in celebration of the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) community. Many West Michigan organizations have raised the rainbow flag, including Metro Health and Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital.
The cost of healthcare can also be a barrier to LGBTQ+ populations who, research shows, face higher rates of poverty. A 2019 study, “LGBT Poverty in the United States,” examines how sexual orientation and gender identity affect the likelihood that an individual will experience poverty.
“All those pieces together can play out to this particular population not engaging in the healthcare system and the primary care system,” said Grace Huizenga, the president of the Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium, a non-profit organization that partners with hospitals, community groups and local health departments.
The most recent Kent County Community Health Needs Assessment shed light on some of the health disparities the local LGBTQ+ population faces.
The assessment found high numbers of mental health issues, smoking and five times as much marijuana use, Huizenga said.
Related: Economic security, racial inequity among top community health concerns in Kent County
About half of the Kent County LGBTQ+ respondents reported being diagnosed with depression, and they are two to three times more likely than straight or cisgender residents to report poor physical and mental health.
“We really have to look at what does the data actually say, where are exactly the problems and then do we implement something,” said Huizenga.
Metro Health aims to address some of these disparities by making the hospital more inclusive through simple steps like flying the Pride Flag for the first time and displaying window decals that say, “You belong here.”
Booker says the work doesn’t stop there, but the symbols of affirmation are “just the beginning.”
When registering patients, the hospital asks for their gender, sexual orientation and pronoun preference — a practice that can seem minor but makes a big difference, Booker said.
Staff also receive ongoing training and education, and Metro Health is collecting data on the LGBTQ+ patient experience to inform practices moving forward.
“It’s hopefully sending a strong message that this is a welcoming and safe place for LGBTQIA+ community members, staff, patients and guests,” Booker said.
Spectrum Health, a 14-hospital system in West Michigan, partnered with the Grand Rapids Pride Center, the Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium and the West Michigan Coalition for Breast Health to hold breast cancer screening event for LGBTQ+ individuals.
Related: Spectrum Health to offer breast cancer screenings June 12 with emphasis on LGBTQ community
“Hopefully this will decrease the access issue and maybe combat negative experiences that people may have had,” Huizenga said.
A mobile mammography unit will be at the Baxter Community Center, 935 Baxter St., from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, June 12. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 616-486-6022.
Huizenga said these efforts are significant for a community that has a “history of being invisible.”
“There’s this population that has had these obvious disparities for a long time and the lack of our systems moving towards that, so that’s starting to change,” she said.
More on MLive:
Michigan Legislature formally recognizes Pride Month for the first time
Rainbow flag raised outside Muskegon City Hall for Pride Month
Pride month being celebrated in downtown Ypsilanti with events through June
