Healthcare is Self-Care

By Lauren Means, RN

Self-care is oftentimes seen as an indulgence — spa days, expensive skincare routines, and meditation. Self-care, however, is much more than luxury time. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health, and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider.”

Preventative and routine maintenance healthcare is a main component of self-care. The way the U.S. healthcare system has been set up, people typically only visit the doctor when something is wrong. There are many factors that can play a role in this including lack of access to care providers, lack of insurance, lack of time or resources, bad prior experience with a healthcare provider, and even fear of what might be found.

As we know, preventative self-care can reduce your risk of getting sick, detect potential health conditions or diseases early in their course, increase chances for treatments and cures while limiting possible complications down the road. This increases lifespan, can reduce healthcare costs long term, and allow one to effectively help others. 

With all that being said, the LGBTQ+ community faces additional challenges in healthcare. LGBTQ+ patients may face inadequate healthcare, unique medical needs, chronic diseases and higher rates of mental health conditions. Oftentimes patients might not feel comfortable coming out to their healthcare providers or might even face blatant discrimination within the healthcare system. 

For those lucky enough to find affirming providers, the knowledge of the specific healthcare needs for the LGBTQ+ population can be lacking as most healthcare programs cover little to no content specific to caring for this population.

When you are looking for a provider, or even during your appointment, it’s perfectly ok to ask about the provider’s familiarity with LGBTQ+ health and if they have any specific training in LGBTQ+ health. It’s also important to advocate for your care. While it should not be the patient’s responsibility to teach healthcare providers the specific needs of the community, if there is screening you need, ask for it.

There are some basic screenings that should be done on an annual or semi-annual basis. This includes an overall physical/screening, eye exam, dental cleaning, and mental health screening. You should also have an open, frank conversation with your care provider about your sexual health. Your provider needs to know the types of sexual activity you engage in to best educate you on safe-sex practices, sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and testing, and if pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) might be right for you.

Cancer screenings are also necessary and sometimes overlooked for members of the LGBTQ+ population. For example, anyone who has a cervix should be screened for cervical cancer and anyone with a prostate should be screened for prostate cancer. 

Vaccinations should also be a part of your routine healthcare. Hepatitis A and B, human papillomavirus  (HPV), MMR, meningitis, influenza, and now COVID-19 vaccines are just a few that should be discussed with your provider. 

You will have the opportunity to meet LGBTQ+ affirming healthcare providers in April when Connect hosts its first annual LGBTQ+ Health and Wellness Expo. March also happens to be LGBTQ+ Health Awareness month. We invite you to attend and take control of your health. Time, date and location are to be determined. To stay updated, follow us on social media or visit our website.

*The preceding information is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment and before undertaking a new health care regimen, and never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it.