The Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health invites all members of the Washington, D.C. transgender community to participate in their upcoming Transgender Health Care Dialogue. This event is set to inform representatives, physicians, and staff about how their current benefits, services, and health care plan are meeting the needs of their transgender members.
“It’s really simple. We want to have a dialogue with the transgender community about their health care,” says Melanie Hiller, Proposal Management Consultant at Kaiser Permanente.
Hiller also serves as president of Kaiser Permanente Pride, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex employee resource group, which co-hosts the event. Topics of the dialogue will include experience in the healthcare setting, physician and nurse interactions, managing the transition process, coverage for transgender services, and terminology.
“This is a dialogue to begin communication and help us in our assessment of how our current benefits and services are meeting the needs of our transgender members,” says Hiller.
Hiller hopes to keep the conversation going and to engage the transgender and transsexual community in upcoming health events as well.
“We want to provide a safe, welcoming space for people to share their story about their health care,” explains Hiller, who urges attendees to bring their stories and share their experiences about interactions, coverage, and services in the health care industry. “We really want people to be there. The more stories we have and the more experiences we hear about, the more information we can take back and use in our assessment of our benefits and services.”
The Transgender Health Care Dialogue will take place on Thursday, June 20, from 6:30 – 8 p.m. at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health, located at 700 2nd Street, NE, Washington, D.C. Although registration is not required, attendees are encouraged to sign up here.
