History at a glance
- LGBTQ+ Americans living in rural communities face greater barriers to accessing health care than LGBTQ+ people in urban areas, a new study has found.
- Many physicians in rural communities may be unfamiliar with LGBTQ+ issues and identities and may not be equipped to address unique LGBTQ+ health care concerns. LGBTQ+ patients in rural areas are also more likely to face discrimination based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Access to adequate health care in rural America is not an issue exclusive to the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals living in rural communities are at greater risk for poor health outcomes, the CDC said.
LGBTQ+ Americans in rural areas face greater barriers to accessing adequate health care, a new study has found.
In a study published earlier this year in Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social ServicesResearchers and doctors practicing in the Appalachian regions of Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia said LGBTQ+ patients outside urban centers are more likely to struggle to find medical professionals who are familiar with LGBTQ+ issues or identities, a potential detriment to sexual health and gender minorities.
According to the study, patients in rural areas are more likely to face stigma about their sexual orientation or gender identity, and many doctors practicing in rural communities are likely to have a worldview rooted in “heteronormativity” or a belief that heterosexuality is the normal or preferred sexual orientation.
Doctors in rural America are also largely ill-equipped to address it unique health challenges faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community, such as disproportionate rates of depression and anxiety.
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“Research on sexual and gender minorities is growing rapidly, but mostly in large urban centers,” lead study author Zachary Ramsey of West Virginia University. said in a press release.
“There are many differences between urban and rural populations for a general population, so it stands to reason that there would be many differences between urban and rural LGBTQ individuals,” Ramsey said. “Without more studies specifically on rural LGBTQ individuals, these differences will go unrecognized, and the Rural LGBTQ Center’s policies and programming can only use an urban population for guidance.”
Ramsey’s findings are consistent with those of similar studies. Research published earlier this month in JAMA Surgery journal found that most transgender adults seeking gender-affirming surgical care leave their home state to receive it — even if it means paying additional out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Researchers in that study said one driving force may be a shortage of health care professionals in places like the South and Midwest — two largely rural regions that are becoming increasingly hostile countries for gender-affirming physicians to practice.
or 2020 study found that only 20 states had at least one surgeon capable of providing genital gender-affirmation surgery to transgender adults, and most practices were located in the Northeast or West.
According to the Census Bureau, more than 46 million Americans, or approximately 15 percent of the US population, live in rural communities. Individuals living in rural areas are at greater risk for poor health outcomes, said the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionin part because they often have to travel long distances to receive specialty or emergency care.
Overall, only 11 percent of physicians practice in rural communities, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Of the more than 7,200 federally designated health professional shortage areas, approximately 60 percent are in rural areas.
“Bringing more providers to rural areas would be a huge benefit,” Ramsey said, “not only for individuals who have to drive several hours to see an endocrinologist for hormones, but for the general population who sometimes may struggle to find the right services.
Published on July 25, 2022
