Health Services adds hours, LGBTQ support
Katie Lamb
Contributing Writer, The Brown Daily Herald
Published: Wednesday, October 3, 2012http://www.browndailyherald.com/health-services-adds-hours-lgbtq-support-1.2772779[Brown University's] Health Services has implemented a number of changes this semester including additional hours, advancement in online accessibility and improved support for transgender students.
Brown health insurance providers will now offer coverage for hormone treatments for transgender students as a result of efforts on the part of the center, Garrett said.
Student groups were the driving force behind many of the other changes that were needed to more extensively support transgender students at Health Services, Garrett said.
The changes included posting welcoming signs and altering health forms so that they "don't make assumptions about sexual identity," Wheeler said. Students can also include an alternate name from their birth name through the University's online medical system.
"Health care can be a real sticking point for transgender students," said Maddy Jennewein '14, former leader of GenderAction. GenderAction, a subgroup of the QueerAlliance, collaborated with Health Services administrators to suggest changes and found that administrators were willing to consider their concerns "in a heartbeat," Jennewein said.
Garrett said the center will continue to advocate for sex reassignment surgery coverage options which some other Ivy League insurance policies already cover.
