FIU Wk 11 Wellbeing of LGBTQ Nursing Advocacy Policies Discussion Responses

please reply to the following two post 100 words one reference each

#1 Lidislay Gonzalez

LGBTQ

The nursing advocacy policies concerning the wellbeing of lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) individuals are wanting. LGBTQ members have been ignored in most health policies yet they are more vulnerable to diseases such as HIV/AIDS, STIs, obesity and Viral Hepatitis (Hatzenbuehler, Flores & Gates, 2017). Moreover, the group is more likely to abuse drugs such as tobacco, cocaine, and alcohol than any other sexual group in the United States hence require more medical attention. The government has however done little and has treated them as lesser beings.

As nurses, it is always our role to impact current and future delivery systems of health to ensure that every individual receives quality care regardless of their age, gender and sex. Notably, nursing practice is based on human health science and caring psychology which advocate for equality and aims to promote the health of all people in all levels of society (Mitchell, Gamarel & Nigg, 2018). To achieve this, nurses must actively take part in formulating policies since they are in a good position of understanding what needs change in their system.

Politically, nurses can play a significant role in influencing the lives of LGBTQ. One of the political actions they can take is to lobby political leaders. Through their professional knowledge on matters concerning community health, through their leaders, nurses have the power to implement policies and programs that protect all individuals regardless of their background. They, therefore, posse the right lobby political leaders to pass policies that advocate for equal health among all groups. Secondly, nurses should recognize the need for power as a driver for achieving their goals in policymaking. They should, therefore, sponsor some of their members to join political positions. By doing so, they will have more power that will enable them to push for change and advocate for equality. Lastly, nurses should involve themselves in campaign groups that fight for equal rights among the LGBTQ members. By doing so, the government will take the matter seriously and will more likely to listen to their grievances. Sometimes, demonstrations are the only voice that the government hears and responds to.

References

Hatzenbuehler, M. L., Flores, A. R., & Gates, G. J. (2017). Social attitudes regarding same?sex marriage and LGBT health disparities: results from a national probability sample. Journal of Social Issues, 73(3), 508-528.

Mitchell, J. W., Gamarel, K. E., & Nigg, C. R. (2018). Multi-topic health promotion programs for sexual minority couples. Health Behavior and Policy Review, 5(1), 84-93.

#2 Mayelin Castro

Question 1: Political actions nurses could take to strengthen their role in policymaking as it relates to advocacy for improving LGBTQ health.

Persons that are gay, lesbian, transgender or bisexual are usually members of every community. The LGBT persons are usually from all walks of life, for instance, they include people of all sorts of races as well as ethnicities, every age, all the statuses that pertain to socioeconomics, and they may come from any part of the United States. Usually, both the perspective and requirements of the LGBT people should be considered routinely in public health efforts in order to develop the overall health of each individual and to also do away with the health disparities that affect them. In addition, when we consider the needs of the LGBT persons in platforms that are premeditated to improve the whole community’s health. There are also the needs for a medical care that is very effective together with services that are particular to that populations (CDC, 2018).

Multiple healthcare organizations strive to guarantee sensitive as well as reasonable care for people who recognize as one of the groups, i.e. lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). There are social changes that have recently raised the awareness of the public of the LGBTQ issues, for instance “the certification of gay marriage as well as Caitlyn Jenner’s very civic journey to transgender female.” Numerous nurses discover slits in knowledge when they are kind for the LGBTQ patients. The LGBTQ individuals normally experience some disparities because of various reasons: discrimination from people as well as social pressure, individual sexual behavior, inadequate entrée to health insurance, advanced rates of smoking and alcohol misappropriation, both anxiety and depression rates, higher risks of transmission of sexually transmitted infections and also heightened cancer incidence (Burke, S. A., 2016). The following are the things that the nurses could do:

The first thing that nurses could do to expand the publics know CDC. (2018ledge about sexual orientation and gender identity. This will aid the people to comprehend the desires of the LGBTQ patients. The nurses should also use this as an advantage to boost their individual knowledge on the topics of sexual orientation or attraction, gender identity or the way one categorizes with the biosphere’s experience. Also, the nurses should know the primary LGBT definitions (Devine A., 2017). The nurses are always aware of these meaning, for instance they could explain the meaning of a lesbian or a queer to a person that is not familiar with them. Some other terms that should be explained to the general public concerning sex orientation include; agender, cisgender, transgender, gender fluid as well as others that stereotypically explain the gender identity of an individual. Nurses should also generate a hospitable environment for the LGBTQ patients. In this way, they will be acting as role models to the general public.

Moreover, nurses should always use inclusive language. Despite the fact that it may require practice, the nurses can always shift their vocabulary towards the inclusiveness. This will help by opening up some new and more healthcare discussions that will help spread the news (Devine A., 2017). For instance, in the forms that are usually filled in the hospitals, the part where they ask about the marital status should read relationship status, which is a more inclusive language. In addition to this, the nurses should also practice to use a gender-neutral language. By doing this, the nurses will always join a conversation more open mindedly with a nonjudgmental attitude. The nurses should always ensure that the individuals are comfortable so that they will open up to them. This should always be done in all situations, whether the patient is gay, lesbian, queer, or identifies to be in any sex orientation.

References:

Burke, S. A. (2016, February 6). Influence through policy: Nurses have a unique role. Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL) Online Magazine. https://www.reflectionsonnursingleadership.org/commentary/more-commentary/Vol42_2_nurses-have-a-unique-role

CDC. (2018, November 13). About LGBT Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/lgbthealth/about.htm

Devine A. (2017, March 7). 10 Tips For Caring For LGBTQ Patients. Nursing News, Education and Community Stories | Nurse.org. https://nurse.org/articles/culturally-competent-healthcare-for-LGBTQ-patients/