A Second Chance at a First Impression: Creating an LGBTQ-Friendly Environment

Hilda AG Rock; Andrew M Guzman; Toi Walker-Smith; Oscar Zambrano; Jose Elizondo

Article Figures & Data

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT PLAN – Medication Assistance Program and LGBTQ Community Initiative

Vision Statement	The medication assistance program (MAP) was introduced to reduce health disparities, promote medication adherence, and lower readmissions by providing uninsured and underinsured patients access to prescribed medication. Our aim was to engage a resident physician in the CHNA to improve the process of identifying and addressing community health needs. We envision an environment where all patients, regardless of their gender or sexual orientation, have health access and equity; where all providers and staff feel comfortable and confident with each patient encounter; and where ongoing education for providers and staff on specific population-based healthcare needs is provided.
Team Objectives	Our objectives were as follows: Compare the readmission rates 1 year before and after enrollment in the MAP (January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2015) Include a resident physician in the hospital CHNA process to provide a resident’s perspective on community needs and interventions to address those needs Compare recommendations of the Community Health Council to the recommendations of resident physicians Educate and engage residents/fellows and other members of the healthcare team about the MAP Develop and implement a LGBTQ educational program for current and new physicians and associates Identify opportunities to improve relationships with community agencies that support our LGBTQ community Collaborate with patient access to improve the system to ensure appropriate data fields to support gender identity
Success Factors	The most successful part of our work was having all stakeholders at the table, sufficient lead time to plan, open and honest communication of barriers, data-driven outcomes, and support and commitment from the C-suite. We were inspired by team members’ enthusiasm, topic expertise, and level of engagement.
Barriers	The largest barrier encountered was finding time for residents to work on the project because of patient responsibilities and schedules and time for leaders to attend the monthly meeting. We worked to overcome these barriers by narrowing the scope of the project and resident representation and by having only one of the leaders attend the monthly meetings.
Lessons Learned	The single most important piece of advice to provide another team embarking on a similar initiative is to have an active partnership with all stakeholders and to clearly identify roles.