Article by Max Disposti, Founder and Executive Director of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, February 10, 2012.

Max Disposti

Health care has always been high on the list of controversial debates. The broken system, the profit-driven insurance companies and the speculations of private providers and pharmaceutical companies have turned a fundamental human right into a struggle for equal access.

As if these barriers were not already difficult to overcome, the skepticism towards the health care system becomes stronger among minority groups that have the misfortune of experiencing the system’s inadequacies first-hand. Some are still living with the consequences of discrimination that many health care providers deliver.

Our California hospitals are operated by employees and management that come from all over the country. The majority of our hospitals do not retain specific LGBT training for their staff and often they rely only on a general anti-discrimination statement where it is assured that everyone is the same and should, therefore, be treated equally. More often than not, this general statement hides and denies the attention that our minorities need.

Healthcare providers that really care about the well being of our LGBT families should be aware of how stigma and discriminatory practices are still affecting our community. This is certainly true in North San Diego County, where—despite legislation that protects gender identity, expression and sexual orientation—some hospitals continue to ignore these protections by treating and approaching LGBT individuals as if these laws never existed.

One of the interests of the North County LGBTQ Resource Center is to address these issues by confronting local health care providers over their lack of understanding, poor education and blunt discrimination. Being knowledgeable about how years of oppression, repression and discrimination has created mental distress, substance abuse dependence and a lack of self-esteem in our community will help health providers to better address their LGBT patients.

It is about self-determination and respect, establishing open dialogue with patients without judgments and prejudice. That’s all.

Several weeks ago, we approached one of the biggest North San Diego County health providers, Tri-City Medical Center, to ask for a meeting after many of our community members shared with us incidents of hospital arrogance, unfriendly behavior and open discrimination delivered by their staff members. Tri-City does not have literature recognizing the existence of our LGBT families. There are no brochures, no prevention programs, no trainings and no statements of inclusiveness available to the public.

Their in-house legal counselor addressed our concerns and agreed to take steps that may change the way Tri-City has been perceived by our LGBT community. These steps include brochures identifying LGBT families, antidiscrimination signs posted in their public areas and, most important, training for all personnel on LGBT language and issues.

We are very happy Tri-City Medical Center has decided to initiate a course of changes that will not only benefit us but their business as well. We continue to ask our North County community to be vigilant over their local health care providers in making sure that all our families are equally received, treated and respected.