Creating a Culture of Diversity and Understanding

Working in healthcare, Rory Huschka, MEd, MT(ASCP), has learned a lot of lessons, but the one he lives every day is to treat others how he would like to be treated, and be present for the patient in front of him in order to provide the best quality care. Here, he stresses the need for increased training around diversity and inclusion, and how that can create a better healthcare environment for all.

In your experience, how does the LGBTQ+ community interact with healthcare? What obstacles do they face?
I think the LGBTQ+ community interacts with healthcare like most other people. While there may be certain health or medical issues or concerns unique to the LGBTQ+ community, I think we interact the same with healthcare teams as those who are not in the LGBTQ+ community.

So many people in healthcare have, for years, been great (extraordinary, really) with the LGBTQ+ community. I think others working in healthcare have come a long way in the fair and respectful treatment of LGBTQ+ persons, but there still is room for improvement. In my view the big obstacle is that sometimes LGBTQ+ persons are still treated as ‘less-than’ or that because some view our lifestyles as ‘wrong’ that they can justify not treating us with the same respect and dignity as others. Unfortunately, I think other communities of people such as those with different ethnic and/or religious backgrounds experience this as well. While I don’t think it happens as much anymore, the fact that it still happens at all is too much.

How can healthcare providers in the U.S. get a better understanding of the needs of LGBTQ+ patients in order to provide better health care?
I think the only way to get a better understanding is to be open to people and to create a safe space for the individual to express their needs. While our society has come a long way in the treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, you have to keep in mind that there are still people who have been disowned by their loved ones just for being LGBTQ+. I think for these individuals, trusting people outside our community can be difficult. I would also remind healthcare providers that while the LGBTQ+ community may have some unique needs, we ultimately are the same and want the same things as everyone (to have great relationships, to contribute to people, to feel safe, to be loved, to be included, etc.). Ultimately, treat us how you would want to be treated. You can never go wrong with that.

Tell us about your own personal experiences as an LGBTQ+ person in health care, and how it has affected your career or your education?
My experience as a gay man in health care has been amazing. I wouldn’t change any of it (the good, bad, and the ugly–and most of it has been great!). Working in health care has taught me to put aside my opinions and thoughts of the individual in front of me so that I am present to that individual in such a way that what I do or say serves them. This is exactly how I want to be treated, so it would be a little ridiculous if I wasn’t developing myself to be that kind of person. I think we’ve all heard the adage “you don’t know what that patient is has been through or is going through,” and I think that can be carried over into any and every interaction we have whether the person in front of you is LGBTQ+ or not.

What is the single most important change a healthcare system can make to improve LGBTQ+ medical care?
I’d say that any kind of training on diversity and inclusion, if not currently being included in the healthcare system’s training programs, would be the best way to improve the LGBTQ+ medical care. As with any goal a health care system creates, a culture of accepting and championing diversity and inclusion has to be created, worked on, tended to, and seen through until that goal is achieved and until that is just part of the culture of that organization.

To read more Q&As with members of the LGBTQ+ community, click here.