Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

LGBTQ+ Latinx healthcare providers discuss impact of COVID-19 pandemic
by Kayleigh Padar
2021-10-29

This article shared 1901 times since Fri Oct 29, 2021
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


As part of its COVID-19 Grand Rounds series, AIDS Foundation Chicago hosted an Oct. 26 panel featuring LGBTQ+ Latinx healthcare providers sharing how the pandemic has impacted their personal and professional lives.

Panelists included Howard Brown Health President/CEO David Munar, Esperanza Health Centers community health advocate Luis Lira and Erie Family Health Center community health nurse Monica Ortiz. Each spoke about how COVID-19 fundamentally changed his or her life. Some survived the virus themselves while treating Latinx patients who were also infected.

The Latinx community has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. The Chicago Department of Public Health reports Latinx people make up 35% of the city's COVID-19 cases and 32% of deaths while representing only 28% of the population.

This disparity is one reason why sharing the stories of Latinx healthcare providers is important, Munar said.

"The big message here is that as a community, Latinx people have the lowest rates of insurance of any racial or ethnic group and have some of the highest health disparities," Munar said. "We're categorically more vulnerable to issues like COVID and we see it in the numbers."

Munar said he "immediately" saw the virus' "enormous impact on the Latinx community." Munar witnessed LGBTQ+ Latinx people facing insurmountable debt without support systems after surviving COVID-19.

"We saw people in line, sick and suspecting they had COVID, and they were more concerned about losing their job than about COVID," Munar said. "The enormous impact of the virus really was cross currents with immigration, lack of insurance, poverty, overcrowded housing. All of these things we talk about in terms of healthcare equity converged in a predictable way around the pandemic."

Ortiz spoke about how, after just three weeks of working as a nurse in an assisted living facility in March 2020, she caught COVID-19 and was out for three weeks. When she returned to the facility, she said it was an environment she'd never experienced, and she faced increased anxiety while managing severely ill patients.

"As nurses, we're caregivers, but we really were these patients' families," Ortiz said. "They were not able to see their families. We were the last people they would see when they passed. That was a really hard reality, but on the other hand, it gave me a lot of gratification knowing that I was where I was supposed to be."

Lira was also infected with COVID-19 early in the pandemic. He explained how drastically it impacted his life, forcing him to take a leave from work that caused financial stress. His recovery was long. For some time, he couldn't speak and didn't know if he would again.

Lira urged healthcare workers to be aware of how they treat their LGBTQ patients and consider putting their staff through yearly sensitivity training. He explained that, while he was in the hospital battling COVID-19, his doctors would frequently ask if he wanted to confer with his wife instead of acknowledging he has a husband.

"A lot of people have a hard time adjusting to people referring to people with their different pronouns or different partners, but something as simple as that allows people to feel more welcome and access healthcare in a more humane way," Lira said.

Munar emphasized the importance of helping LGBTQ people navigate the complex healthcare system since they might not have family support.

"As LGBTQ people of color, we're more susceptible to institutional harm," Munar said. "If you have a friend, spouse, ally or advocate communicating with doctors on your behalf, that makes a huge difference."

Now that the healthcare system is more equipped to manage COVID-19 than it was in the early days of the pandemic, Ortiz stressed the importance of addressing the larger systemic issues plaguing Latinx people trying to access healthcare even before the pandemic.

"We still need to go to the doctor frequently, we still need more specialists and it's still really hard to get those types of resources," Ortiz said.

Although the medical community has more information about COVID-19, Lira said he's still struggling to help Latinx people get accurate information about vaccines. He said he's heard from lots of Latinx people who are suspicious of institutions they've come to distrust pushing vaccination so heavily.

"There's still that fear and distrust of the healthcare community Latinos have, and some of them aren't getting vaccinated," Lira said. "We've had to lay people off at Esperanza because they refuse to get vaccinated."

Project VIDA and AIDS Foundation of Chicago are launching the VIDA task force, which is designed to address healthcare disparities for LGBTQ+ people of color. The task force is seeking members—specifically community leaders who address issues facing the Latinx community —to attend monthly meetings with the goal of assessing and improving the community's access to healthcare.

For more information, visit almachicago.org .


This article shared 1901 times since Fri Oct 29, 2021
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council sets a new course 2024-03-18
- Chicago's LGBTQ+ Advisory Council held its first meeting of the calendar year on Feb. 28 at City Hall in the Loop under the leadership of the recently appointed chair Jin-Soo Huh. The LGBTQ+ Advisory Council is ...


Gay News

WORLD Leaked messages, Panama action, author dies at 32, Japan court, out athletes 2024-03-15
- Hundreds of messages from an internal chat board for an international group of transgender health professionals were leaked in a report and framed as revealing serious health risks associated with gender-affirming care, including cancer, according to ...


Gay News

UK health service to stop routinely prescribing puberty blockers to minors 2024-03-14
- NHS (National Health Service) England confirmed that children will no longer routinely be prescribed puberty blockers at gender-identity clinics, the BBC reported. The decision came after a review found there was "not enough evidence" that they ...


Gay News

One Roof Chicago launches youth-focused workforce development program 2024-03-14
- One Roof Chicago (ORC) is set to launch its first training, education and job placement program for LGBTQ+ young adults in late spring. This Community Health Workers and Elder Care program is a part of ORC's ...


Gay News

Howard Brown experts discuss advocacy and allyship for Chicago's trans community 2024-03-14
By Alec Karam - Howard Brown Health's Trans & Gender Diverse People's Rights & Patient Care panel convened March 12 to discuss both resources for—and opportunities to provide allyship to—the city's trans and gender diverse communities. The event hos ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health faces October trial if settlement isn't reached with union 2024-03-13
- Howard Brown Health could go to trial over unfair labor practice allegations if the LGBTQ+ health center doesn't reach a settlement with its agreement soon. Chicago's regional director of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) filed ...


Gay News

Pro-choice activists protest crisis pregnancy center on International Women's Day 2024-03-11
- The rainy weather on March 8 didn't deter a passionate group of pro-choice protesters from gathering in Old Town on International Women's Day. Following the opening of Women's Care Center—a crisis pregnancy center—directly next to Pl ...


Gay News

NATIONAL Altercation, mpox research, Univ. of Fla., George Santos, tech battle 2024-03-08
- Video footage uploaded to Facebook showed an altercation between a state trooper and two prominent Philadelphia LGBTQ+ leaders, the Washington Blade reported, republishing an article from Philadelphia Gay News. Celena ...


Gay News

Pride 365 event emphasizes year-round support for LGBTQ+ employees 2024-03-07
- Queer employees are queer all year-round. The need for employers to accordingly support and uplift them year-round was the core message at Howard Brown Health and Citywide Pride's Pride 365 "Out of Office to Out in ...


Gay News

AMA launches toolkit to increase screenings for HIV, STIs, hepatitis, tuberculosis 2024-03-06
Press release - CHICAGO — With disruptions in clinical care caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and viral hepatitis across the U.S., the American Medical Association ...


Gay News

APA adopts policy supporting transgender, gender diverse and non-binary individuals 2024-02-28
- From a press release: WASHINGTON—The American Psychological Association (APA) has adopted a landmark policy affirming evidence-based care for transgender, gender diverse and nonbinary children, adolescents and adults, noting that recent ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Mike Simmons discusses LGBTQ+ health disparities, child tax credit 2024-02-27
- State Senator Mike Simmons is running unopposed in the March 19 election. Simmons began representing the 7th District after the former state senator, Heather Steans, retired. He's lived in the area his entire life. ...


Gay News

Advocates call for increased HIV funding amid state's 'disappointing' pattern of flat funding 2024-02-27
- Governor JB Pritzker's proposed 2025 budget has no increase in HIV funding, continuing a years-long pattern of flat spending toward tackling the epidemic in Illinois. Pritzker outlined his $52.7 billion budget for the 2025 fiscal year ...


Gay News

ELECTIONS 2024 Kelly Cassidy discusses reproductive health, LGBTQ+ rights ahead of March primary 2024-02-26
- By Kayleigh Padar State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, running unopposed in the March 19 primary election so as to continue representing the 14th District, was first elected in 2011. During her tenure in Springfield, she has ...


Gay News

Howard Brown Health Names Robin Gay, DMD as Interim President and CEO 2024-02-23
--From a press release - Howard Brown Health's Board of Directors announced today the appointment of Robin Gay, DMD as Interim President and CEO. Dr. Gay, who most recently served as Chief Dental Officer, assumes the role formerly held by outgoing ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.