Five Questions With: Laurie Sawyer

"This designation is new to Rhode Island Hospital and the LGBT population is just becoming aware of it."

Laurie Sawyer is the fellowship coordinator for the Lawrence A. Aubin Sr. Child Protection Center at Hasbro Children’s Hospital, the pediatric division of Rhode Island Hospital. She is the chairperson of Spectrum, the Lifespan Employee Resource Group, and launched the “Safe Zone” project to drive better understanding of diverse identities. Rhode Island Hospital was recently conferred leadership status by the Human Rights Campaign for the hospital’s commitment to providing the best practices in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender care.

PBN: As a leader in LGBT care, can you discuss what kinds of changes did Rhode Island Hospital need to make to get to the good place that it is now?
SAWYER:
Visitation policies, patient rights and responsibilities, admission and outpatient clinic registration paperwork and the website were updated with inclusive language adding Rhode Island Hospital’s commitment to nondiscrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression. There was also mandatory employee training created on cultural competency that included LGBT patient care.

PBN: Are you hearing from LGBT patients and family members that they are grateful for the way the hospital has embraced diversity and specifically LGBT patients?
SAWYER:
This designation is new to Rhode Island Hospital and the LGBT population is just becoming aware of it. As the chairperson of Spectrum, the hospital’s employee resource group, I wanted to help patients and families of diverse identities feel safe and respected, and established our “Safe Zone” project for them. And, the leadership status designation awarded to the hospital by the Human Rights Campaign demonstrates to me that our efforts are being recognized and appreciated.

PBN: What kinds of things can still go wrong for LGBT patients and family members at other hospitals that have yet to address this aspect of diversity?
SAWYER:
In a 2010 nationwide discrimination study, half of the LGBT respondents reported that they had been refused needed care; that healthcare providers refused to touch them or used excessive precautions; healthcare providers used harsh or abusive language or were physically rough or abusive. 70% of transgender and gender-nonconforming respondents and almost 56% of lesbian, gay or bisexual respondents had at least one of these experiences. HEI offers training in LGBT health needs, recognizing that staff education is critical to the success of any policy.

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PBN: Is LGBT sensitivity training ongoing at the hospital? If so, what kinds of things does it include?
SAWYER:
Yes. All employees must complete cultural sensitivity training annually, and it is incorporated in new employee orientation. We host LGBT trainers at Lunch ‘n Learn sessions, and individual departments also bring in trainers to educate their residents and fellows in LGBT care.

PBN: Can you talk about how addressing LGBT issues facilitates better health care, the ways in which by dealing fully with LGBT needs you are serving the health needs of a community that might not have been met as well otherwise?
SAWYER:
Honesty and trust are core issues in a patient-provider relationship, whether services relate to unique needs (hormones) or specialized medicine (HIV care) or common ones (cancer). Without honesty and trust, patient safety may become compromised. In order to provide the best care, By understanding and embracing LGBT challenges, providers become better able to serve all the health care needs of their patients.

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