Transgender and non-binary patient care: How to create safe spaces

18^th International Conference on Nursing & Healthcare

December 05-07, 2016 Dallas, USA

Ardel Haefele-Thomas

City College of San Francisco, USA

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Nurs Care

Abstract :

Although there is more cultural awareness around transgender issues, generally speaking, the majority of western medical establishments from doctor�s offices and clinics to hospitals and emergency services are still not safe places for transgender, trans and non-binary patients. Historically, the rate of mortality for trans people has been much higher than their cisgender counterparts because of the lack of cultural competence on behalf of the medical establishment. Some of this stems from older medical models from 19th and 20th century sexologists and the DSM which labeled trans people as sick. Nurses are often at the front lines of healthcare and it is precisely nurses who can help lead the way in making medical access a positive and empowering rather than a negative and degrading experience. This presentation will provide tools and focus on various ways that clinical and hospital settings can move toward becoming safe spaces for all people to be able to access medical care. I will discuss various clinical models from the Tom Waddell Clinic in San Francisco which works with a large trans homeless and poverty level population to a rural Canadian clinic that has become a model of trans care for larger cities. This will be a multi-media presentation with the possibility (depending on time) for working in groups to problem-solve several situations. I will also be discussing the most recent World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) findings from the 2016 Amsterdam convention.

Biography :

Email: athomas@ccsf.edu