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LGBTQI+ communities have a long history of experiencing barriers to healthcare, have increased risk factors for cancer, and are less satisfied with their cancer care. One survey demonstrates that these patients want their providers to show them they are welcome and make that welcome real.
The National LGBT Cancer Network is a resource that helps community cancer care providers reduce patient barriers to care and be more inclusive of LGBTQI+ communities. The network aims to improve the lives of LGBTQI+ cancer survivors and those at risk of cancer by:
As outlined in Cancer and the LGBT Community: Unique Perspectives from Risk to Survivorship, LGBTQI+ communities have a history of experiencing barriers to healthcare, have increased risk factors for cancer, and are less satisfied with their cancer care.
A decade ago, the National LGBT Cancer Network conducted a survey that asked LGBTQI+ cancer survivors what they wanted their healthcare providers to know about their care experience. The findings were stark. We found struggles to find welcoming providers, fear with every new provider interaction, and emotional scars from previous lived experience of discrimination and rejection, such as being shunned by family. The top takeaway from the study was that LGBTQI+ patients want their providers to show them they are welcoming and to put effort into making that welcome real.
Where to Start?
At each one of the provider trainings our organization holds, we recommend that cancer programs start by scanning their services. Look from the outside in. How and where could LGBTQI+ patients learn that your cancer program and providers would welcome them? It is evident in your social media? Is it on your website? On your forms? On your office walls? In your training of clinical and non-clinical staff, including front-desk personnel? The National LGBT Cancer Network has resources that can make many of these steps easier. Healthcare organizations can take advantage of free membership in our network and co-brand our resources with your facility’s logo.
Organizations’ social media presence can also be a good jumping off point. For example, given that tobacco use in LGBTQI+ communities is 50 percent higher than in the general population, the LGBT Cancer Network offers shareable social media that can address this issue. For programs conducting quality or process improvement initiatives related to reducing cancer risk through tobacco cessation and screening programs, we offer two series of social media shareable ads (in English and Spanish) that can be customized and added to your own media feed as part of our Out, Proud & Free campaign.
In addition to our cancer-related resources, we also have resources on the issues raised by COVID-19. Other free materials include:
These resources and more are available in our online resource library. In need of cultural competency training for your staff, customized technical assistance (TA), or even just a few small questions answered? Just email us.
Building Trust
Building trust is essential for successfully engaging LGBTQI+ communities. The truth is we are not used to being welcome at healthcare facilities, so taking the above actions will be noticed and will begin to foster a community of trust. A best practice is to do this with internal advisors. As our best practices document outlines, we suggest you consider convening an expert advisory group from your own staff first, and then recruit community leaders (with compensation) to fill in the gaps and further spread the word that you are serious about this work.
This blog post is adapted from an article that previously appeared in ACCC’s Research Review newsletter. Read back issues of the newsletter and learn more about the role of clinical trials in cancer programs and practices.