The Mautner
Project, a national lesbian health organization, has
launched the first-ever national online training
curriculum that specifically addresses the unique
health concerns of lesbian patients for medical and
health care professionals. The "Removing the
Barriers" online course is an introduction to
the key concepts of providing culturally competent,
quality care to women who partner with women.
The accredited
online training is an overview of the more intensive
training sessions that the Mautner Project has been
conducting for over 10 years. Along with the online
version, the experiential on-site "Removing the
Barriers" training sessions will continue in various
workshop formats ranging from two hours to a full day. The
online training allows the health care providers to
take session at their convenience while receiving two
hours of continuing education credit.
"Competent
health care delivery depends on a health care
professional's ability to look beyond the
obvious aspects of a patient's physical
appearance and to be sensitive to cultural factors that may
influence a patient's attitudes and
behaviors," William E. Gannon Jr., MD, a Mautner
Project board member and the agency's medical
advisor, says in a press statement. "Cultural
awareness is especially important to lesbian patients
who face barriers because of their sexual orientation. Many
lesbians fear bias based on previous personal experiences
with physicians or on the experiences of their friends
or loved ones."
The Mautner
Project has conducted on-site training session for more than
4,000 health care professionals across the country and in
Canada. To date, training sessions have taken place in
hospitals; clinics; professional schools, including
medicine, nursing, and social work; professional
conferences; and at 53 breast and cervical cancer early
detection programs.
In addition to
the launch of the new online course, Mautner's
training sessions are currently being initiated at
elder-care facilities and fertility clinics.
For more
information about the online training program call (202)
332-5536 or go online to www.mautnerproject.org.
(The Advocate)