Get the comprehensive resource for LGBT public health issues!

Public health services for sexual minorities have suffered from practitioners’ lack of knowledge about sexual or gender orientation, specific health concerns, and inherent system homophobia and heterosexism. The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health: A Practitioner’s Guide to Service provides a unique focus on LGBT public health, offering positive direction for practitioners looking for guidance in methods to ensure a healthy community for all while taking into consideration the special needs of sexual minorities.

Ignorance and fear by both practitioners and LGBT clients leads to less-than-optimum public health services. The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health extensively discusses these issues clearly, working to foster cultural competency among public health professionals. This book lays the groundwork for better understanding of LGBT health issues and their relationship to overall public health, then delves into the research on how incorporating LGBT cultural competency can improve academic institutions and continuing education programs. The problem of providing health care access and the health issues burdening each segment of the LGBT community are discussed in detail, all with a focus on providing effective solutions to tough challenges. Clear strategies are also presented for improving city, county, state, and national public health infrastructures and policies. The issue of productive and safe work environments in business and the private sector for LGBT individuals is addressed, along with a close look at the advantagesand pitfallsof media and Internet resources. Many chapters are illustrated with tables and diagrams; each chapter is exhaustively referenced, includes useful lists of selected resources, and asks questions to spark thought on the issues as they pertain to the reader's circumstances.

The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health discusses:

the inequities in health care for LGBT people
overt prejudice, discrimination, disdain, or outright denial of services
assumption by health professionals of risk factors based on sexual or gender orientation rather than individual behaviors and health history
unwitting expression of biases of many public health practitioners
the effect of social stigma on public health care services
LGBT cultural competency framework for institutions of higher learning and professional organizations
LGBT awareness, sensitivity, and competency training
sexually transmitted diseases
reproductive cancers
intimate partner violence
noncommunicable diseases among gay and bisexual men
’down low’ behavior (avowed straight men with spouses having sex with other men) as public health issue
AIDS-related malignancies
transsexuals and transphobia
hormonal therapy
sex reassignment surgery (SRS)
mental health needs of transsexuals, cross-dressers, and intersex individuals
barriers to health care access
insurance systems
confidentiality of medical records
substance use
health care issues for LGBT youth and young adults
health care needs of LGBT elders
recommendations for improvement of health and welfare services

The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health is a one-of-a-kind resource for LGBT public health issues, essential for public health professionals, practitioners, health services professionals, substance abuse counselors, disease intervention specialists, public health advisors, community health service administrators, community based agencies, and community health nurses. Educators in community hea

The Handbook of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Public Health - heftet, Engelsk, 2006