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MEDICAL STUDENT
PERSPECTIVES

Pride Community Clinic –

Evolving Healthcare for LGBT People

By Donald Egan, MSIII at the UT-LSOM

In the heart of downtown San Antonio, a
group of medical students from the long School
of Medicine gather at the Alamo Area Resource
Center (AARC) once a month to offer free
healthcare to the often-marginalized lGbT
community. Students treat all lGbT patients, but
provide special focus on transgender patients
with provisions for hormone replacement ther-
apies (HRT), counseling, and sexual health. The
student-run free clinic, named the Pride Clinic,
has been a monumental success.
Starting in 2014, students began by conducting
a community needs assessment. The assess-
ment’s findings demonstrated that most
lGbTQI+ people were not getting screened for
HIv or STIs. Many did not reveal important sex-
ual health information to physicians, reporting a lack of trust in discrimination from the medical field. 19% of transgender or gen-
their doctors to provide them with dignified care. However, they der non-conforming individuals report being refused medical care
responded favorably and comfortably to the idea of an lGbT-ori- due to their gender identity or expression when ill or wounded; 28%
ented clinic or being treated by an openly lGbT-friendly doctor. of transgender of these individuals postpone care due to fear of
The students were determined to provide a more welcoming clinic discrimination.
that could meet the health care needs of lGbTQI+ patients while Working at the Pride Community Clinic continues to shape my
empowering them to feel comfortable discussing their private health education by offering me experience that is not traditionally covered
care needs. in medical education. What’s more, I have been able to teach my
The clinic began seeing patients in 2017. Since then, the patient fellow students how to be better suited to provide medical care to
list has grown substantially with a waiting list to receive care; a clear a vulnerable community. Through training, we prepare our medical
demonstration for the growing need for more lGbT-friendly serv- student volunteers to address the complex nature of lGbT health-
ices in the city. The state of Texas has the second-largest population care. At its core, we hope our training will teach volunteers to rec-
of transgender residents in the United States. The U.S. numbers ap- ognize and move beyond their biases to treat the person rather than
proximately 125,350, with the largest portion of transgender indi- the stereotype. In doing so, we hope to foster growth within our
viduals in Texas (19,200) aged 18-24 years. medical community which will percolate outside of medicine, cre-
The Texas legal landscape and social climate contribute to an en- ating a safer space for all Texans. Regardless of gender identity or
vironment in which lGbTQI+ people are at risk for experiencing sexual orientation, each person deserves to live their fullest and
stigma, harassment, and discrimination that can lead to economic healthiest life.
instability and poorer health outcomes. A large source of these
health disparities come from the lGbTQI+ population’s underuti- Donald Egan, MSIII at the UT-LSOM, 2021 University of Texas School
lization of healthcare services, especially among transgender pa- of Public Health Master of Public Health Candidate, 2021 TMA MSS,
tients, due to fear of discrimination. Transgender individuals report AMA Delegate Co-Chair PRIDE, Communications Chair & Research
high levels of anxiety about receiving healthcare due to perceived Chair

30 San Antonio Medicine • January 2020