Month: October 2015

The GLMA Nursing Workplace Climate Scale – Available now!

The GLMA Nursing Section has now unveiled our “Workplace Climate Scale” – a tool that can be used to improve the working environment for nurses in any setting!  It can also be used as a teaching and learning tool to raise awareness of ways to reduce workplace WCS logohomophobia and microagressions that affect LGBTQ individuals and families.

You can find out more from the information on our website! Discover a number of ways that YOU can use this simple yet comprehensive tool, regardless of where you work!  We developed the tool as a way to address homophobia in the workplace that has damaged so many lives for too many years.  But our approach is a positive one … it outlines the actions and conditions that can be create to not only overcome homophobia, and create a truly welcoming environment that values all sexual and gender minority nurses!

Here are the specific sections that you will find on the website:

Teaching with the Workplace Climate Scale – here you will find a slideshow that you can use in any setting to introduce people to the elements on the Scale, and to prompt discussion of how to create these conditions in any workplace.

Workplace Climate Scale for Self- Assessment – here you will find a downloadable PDF file that lists all 1o of the items on the scale, with a column for you to use for self-assessment in any setting.

Recognition for earning a “Perfect 10” on the Workplace Climate Scale – so you want to actually use the scale to score your workplace, AND you find that you have a “perfect 10!”  Use the electronic form on this page to let us know, and we will post your achievement on our website!

Most of all, we would love to hear from you!  We are still in the process of posting resources to help people who want to use this important resource to take action where you work!  Fill out the contact form here, and give us your suggestions!  We will do everything we can to support what you want to accomplish!

New Ruling — Collection of LGBT Data in EHR Systems!

If you have not heard yet, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a ruling that is a huge advancement in the provision of health care to LGBT people. In the new final rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology (ONC), all electronic health systems (EHR) certified under Stage 3 of Meaningful Use are required to allow users to record, change, and access data on sexual orientation and gender identity!

If you are not familiar with Meaningful Use, here is a website that gives a quick overview of the objectives and different stages. In essence, Meaningful Use is using EHR technology to improve quality and safety, engage patients, and improve care coordination. Providers and hospitals need to meet certain criteria to attain Meaningful Use, qualifying them for payment incentives.

Although this latest ruling does NOT require providers and hospitals to collect sexual orientation and gender identity data, it does require EHR vendors to build these questions in their systems. Moreover, the ruling adopts replacing outdated and offensive terminology and replacing them with best practice questions.

It is a victory in the advancement of understanding LGBT health disparities!

The Fenway Institute published a press release on this announcement and is worth the read!

Nursing Summit 2015 – a Great Success!

Our 2015 Nursing Summit was a great success – many thanks to the leadership of Caitlin Stover, who worked tirelessly throughout the months ahead to make sure this happened! Her planning team included Michele McKelvey, Kelli Dunham, Madelyne Greene, Pamela Lin, Eileen Glover, Rob Carroll, Jose Pares-Avila, Sarah Sanders, Mary Foley, Emily Kane-Lee, Pamela Levesque, Amy Wilson-Stronks and Alison McManus.  The 2014-15 leadership team lent support along the way, as well as members of the GLMA staff who orchestrated the GLMA Conference.  Portland, Oregon was a beautiful, interesting and very welcoming city – everywhere we went we heard comments of delight that we were together, sharing interesting ideas, supporting one another, and learning on many levels.

We will be posting many more details of the outcomes of the Summit during the next several weeks, but for now I want to be sure everyone knows our new leadership team for 2015-2016.  Below is a photograph of the newly elected team that was taken by our 6 member – Mary Foley, our Past Chair who will be on our leadership team for the coming year as well!  I have included Mary’s photo from last year!  Shown seated, Peggy Chinn (Recorder) and Michael Johnson (Chair).  Standing L to R: Caitlin Stover (Chair-Elect), Ralph Klotzbaugh (Budget Officer), Natalie Paul (Student Representative from Vanderbilt University).

2015-Leadership

And with great appreciation for her contributions in launching our Nursing Section: MaryMary-Foley Foley, Past-Chair!