Our vision
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TransFORWARD: Creating culturally competent care for transgender Texans
“. . . access to affordable, culturally competent healthcare is essential to fostering resilience and promoting overall well-being . . .” Among the many issues faced by transgender Texans, none is more alarming than the high incidence of suicide attempts. According to the National Transgender Survey, more than 40% of respondent’s report having attempted suicide. Clearly, we must do more to support transgender Texans. TransFORWARD’s premise is that efforts to reduce suicidality must include increasing access to healthcare free from bias and discrimination. While the causes of suicide are complex, we know that access to affordable, culturally competent healthcare is essential to fostering resilience and promoting overall well-being.* By facilitating research, educating medical providers, and advocating for affirming policies, TransFORWARD works to ensure that transgender Texans can obtain medical care without fear or stigma |
our approach
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Produce Evidence & IdeasGood science drives good medicine. A recent Institute of Medicine report recognized significant gaps in medical research involving LGBTQ people. The gaps are especially profound for transgender people. TransFORWARD connects transgender people to health researchers to ensure that medical care for the transgender community is informed by data. For example, we are working with the PRIDE Study/PRIDEnet and the National Institutes of Health to recruit transgender Texans for a first-of-its-kind longitudinal study of underserved communities. In the first two years, we expect to recruit 2,500 transgender Texans to participate. This study will provide much needed information on access to healthcare across Texas, from major metros to rural communities.
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Translate & Share InsightsTransFORWARD’s objective is to create a statewide Transgender-Powered Research Learning Collaborative Network employing the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research (PCOR) conceptual model to guide and operationalize the network. This approach will enable teams to conduct research on transgender health issues across Texas with some level of coordination. The PCOR conceptual model enables a culture of patient-centeredness in research and meaningful and effective partnerships at the local, regional, and state levels of the state. TransFORWARD is creating create one-page fact sheets, resource toolkits, a ListServ, newsletters, videos and webinars, and other social media enabled reports and briefs.
Outreach and Education
TransFORWARD is a PRIDEnet community engagement partner. PRIDEnet is a national network that engages lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) people in research about our health. The PRIDE Study is affiliated with PRIDEnet and is the first national, large-scale, long-term health study of LGBTQ people in the United States. TransFORWARD conducts workshops at transgender health events; connects local transgender support groups with healthcare providers; and tables events to increase awareness, enrollment, and participation in PRIDE Study research protocols.
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Training and eLearning
Patient-centered care requires a meaningful understanding of the patient’s circumstances and needs. But medical providers often have little information about what it means to be transgender or how gender identity and expression affect care. TransFORWARD provides the tools hospitals and health centers need to fill this critical knowledge gap, including a comprehensive online learning series and in-person trainings tailored to a provider’s needs. Our seven course Transgender Health Learning Series, hosted by Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, is the only free online training program to increase transgender competency in the provision of healthcare.
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Technical Assistance
The Joint Commission’s LGBT field guide emphasizes the importance of written policies and staff training in the delivery of inclusive and culturally competent care. But according to the 2018 the Healthcare Equality Index, only four hospitals or health centers in Texas currently have fully inclusive policies and training. TransFORWARD advocates for hospitals and health centers to adopt comprehensive policies that demonstrate their commitment to equity and provide employees the tools and training for inclusive care. TransFORWARD is working with Texas healthcare providers and organizations to adopt more inclusive care policies in the next two years.
Advance Collaborative Action
The Joint Commission’s LGBT field guide emphasizes the importance of written policies and staff training in the delivery of inclusive and culturally competent care. But according to the 2018 the Healthcare Equality Index, only four hospitals or health centers in Texas currently have fully inclusive policies and training. TransFORWARD advocates for hospitals and health centers to adopt comprehensive policies that demonstrate their commitment to equity and provide employees the tools and training for inclusive care. TransFORWARD is working with Texas healthcare providers and organizations to adopt more inclusive care policies in the next two years.
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