In response to an increase in the need for knowledge around the provision of health care services for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in Colorado, ECHO Colorado is offering two educational programs for health care providers to learn to better serve these patients.

Creating Transgender Affirming Health Care Systems, offered in partnership with Denver Health, involves six weekly ECHO sessions held virtually from February 4 to March 10, 2020. The program is designed to provide knowledge and tools that organizations can use to build systems of transgender-affirming care in health care settings. Participants including those working in administration, human resources, quality improvement, diversity and inclusion, IT/program management and directors of service will learn about common language and implementation tactics to start the process of system changes.

“This series was created to highlight the importance of developing affirming systems for gender diverse patients,” said Kari Kuka, Administrative Director, LGBT Center of Excellence, Denver Health. “It looks at how policies, electronic medical records and the revenue cycle can play a role in providing affirming health care experiences.”

Comprehensive Care for Transgender Patients: Enhanced Case Management, offered in partnership with University of Colorado School of Medicine, is comprised of twelve monthly ECHO sessions held virtually from February 6, 2020 to January 7, 2021 and is designed to support clinical providers interested in improving care for transgender and gender non-binary patients. Participants will increase their knowledge and confidence in providing gender-affirming care including routine primary care, hormone therapy management, surgical options and behavioral health. Enhanced case management sessions include a brief didactic presentation by an expert followed by discussion of participant-submitted cases.

“Our goal with this ECHO program is to give local providers the tools they need to provide better comprehensive patient care and a supportive environment to help with challenging cases,” said Micol S. Rothman, Associate Professor of Medicine and Radiology, University of Colorado School of Medicine.

An estimated 1.4 million American adults identify as transgender and national surveys report ongoing gaps in care for those individuals. A recent study published by ONE Colorado called Turning Point for LGBTQ Health reports that transgender Coloradans are more likely to have routine care and health care maintenance done if they are seen by a transgender-inclusive provider. The report recommends that health care providers understand the unique experiences faced by LGBTQ individuals and the community as a whole, ensure that staff provide culturally-responsive and clinically-competent care, and educate and advocate within policy and health systems in order to improve LGBTQ health outcomes.

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Following the launch of the School Health (SH) ECHO Colorado program at Children’s Hospital Colorado, several SH team members had the opportunity to serve as ECHO exhibitors at the annual 2018 and 2019 Colorado Association of School Nurses conference.  The goal was to disseminate ECHO Colorado materials and educate conference attendees about how ECHO can benefit school nurses across Colorado. The difference in the exhibitor experience between these two years was striking.  In 2018, most conference attendees who visited the ECHO table had never heard of ECHO Colorado. However, in 2019, the vast majority of school nurses we spoke with did, in fact, know what ECHO is, had already attended one of the school health series, and enthusiastically asked what future series were on the horizon.  What we learned: The word is out … School nurses LOVE participating in ECHO series!

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