OAHHS Hospital Voice Fall/Winter 2019

32 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. HOSPITAL SPOTLIGHTS, CONT. OHSU  OHSU EXPANDING, IMPROVING TRANSGENDER HEALTH SERVICES OHSU is adding four new staff members, creating its first ever fellowships in gender- affirming surgical care. The additions are part of the effort to advance its Transgender Health Program, launched in 2015, to ensure patients receive respectful and quality health care regardless of their gender identity. The increased staff includes two new urology surgeons who will offer more options for individuals seeking gender-affirming genital surgeries. Also, two new psychologists will provide mental health care to pediatric and adult transgender patients. Caring for more than 1,000 adult and youth transgender patients, OHSU has one of the largest and most comprehensive transgender health programs in the U.S. “OHSU is committed to providing compassionate and competent health care to every Oregonian, including transgender individuals,” said Renee Edwards, MD, MBA, vice president and chief medical officer of OHSU Healthcare. “The addition of new staff and projects to the OHSU Transgender Health Program demonstrates our long-term commitment to ensure OHSU has the resources needed to meet the real and pressing health needs of the transgender community.” Starting in 2020, OHSU will employ two fellows focused on transgender surgery. The two will be taught by two current OHSU surgeons. The Transgender Health Program has established community partnerships, facilitating a Community Advisory Board comprised entirely of transgender and gender-diverse members. The board meets quarterly and aims to increase the program’s transparency and alignment of needs with patients and the community. AMay upgrade of OHSU’s electronic health record system included broader options for recording a patient’s gender identity, sexual orientation, and other relevant information, such as chosen names and pronouns. The system previously only allowed records to display the sex of the patient as “male” or “female” based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Today, providers can document the patient’s gender identity, and this information will be displayed more prominently on the electronic health record. The change ensures patients are greeted by staff with the names they use, which helps create a more welcoming and supportive environment. In September, OHSU hosted to help the region’s medical and mental health providers better understand and appreciate the unique needs of transgender patients.