16 Feb A new Guide for Transgender Primary Health Care

Advances of technology becoming mainstream have certainly contributed to increased opportunities and connectedness.  And, most recently I got to attend a launch of a very excited initiative… because of technology.  I would never have driven to BIG downtown Toronto, so instead I sat in my office as a virtual participant (yay technology) at November’s launch of Rainbow Health Ontario’s(a program of  Sherbourne Health Centre) Trans Primary Care Guide.  The Trans Primary Care Guide is an online tool designed to support trans people to stay in their home community for health care and trans related care.   It’s an interactive guide based on the Guidelines and Protocols for Hormone Therapy and Primary Health Care for Trans Clients from Sherbourne Health Centre.

The Guide was developed in partnership with Kelly Speck, a student of the Biomedical Communications program at the University of Toronto.  Kelly was at the launch to introduce the guide and provide a real time demonstration. Although the online guide is developed with Primary Care physicians and nurses in mind it can be a great advocacy tool for psychologists, registered social workers and support workers with transgender clients.  The guide could be used directly with the trans person seeking information or to inform a clinician planning to embark on advocacy for their client.

During the launch one of the presenters stated the Trans Primary Guide is “another step towards decentralizing the information that has historically been held in large urban centres like Toronto”.  Is this not exciting!?

Links:

Trans Primary Guide-  http://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/TransHealthGuide/index.html

Guidelines and Protocols for Hormone Therapy and Primary Health Care for Trans Clients- http://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/woocommerce_uploads/2015/04/SHC-Protocols-for-Hormone-Therapy-Final1.pdf

Rainbow Health Ontario- http://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca