LGBT Friendly Doctors in Ann Arbor

Hi, thank you for coming back for the latest edition of Beyond Primary Care’s blog- LGBT Friendly Doctors in Ann Arbor. In Beyond Primary Care blogs we highlight healthcare news, advice for medical conditions, and how membership for care works! Beyond Primary Care is an insurance free, membership based family medicine clinic. Beyond Primary Care is the highest rated Direct Primary Care clinic serving patients in Ann Arbor and throughout Washtenaw, Livingston, and Wayne counties giving families and employers peace of mind about healthcare costs by providing affordable and accessible primary care services.

The primary purpose of the blog is to introduce healthy lifestyle concepts and answer common questions I receive from patients that I believe are important. I want to start discussions that will help educate, benefit, and improve your well-being. 

In this blog post, I wanted to educate my patients and any prospective patients about:

LGBTQ Friendly Doctors in Ann Arbor

At Beyond Primary Care, we believe that all people- and we mean everyone- deserves access to compassionate and evidence-based LGBTQ-friendly healthcare. Period. However, I acknowledge that the medical system has repeatedly treated the LGBTQ community in ways that lead to unacceptable health outcomes. If you are a part of this community you already know how hard it is to find a great LGBTQ physician or ally who understands you. Let’s fix this.

At Beyond Primary Care, we welcome lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals and families into our practice and offer health services regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, and other non-medically relevant factors.

Health Disparities

Data demonstrates that 73% of transgender individuals say they would be treated differently by medical personnel because of their LGBT status, LGBT youth are at greater risk for suicide attempts than non-LGBT youths, and discrimination against LGBT individuals has been linked with high rates of substance abuse. 

This is due to many factors. These include but may not be limited to historical invisibility of sexual minorities, a failure on the part of health professionals to recognize that sexual minorities are differentially vulnerable to multiple health threats, and negative societal attitudes that may have caused some healthcare workers to be indifferent and opine less evidence-based root causes for poor health outcomes. 

Understanding and reducing these disparities are important as physicians and other health professionals work towards decreases in disease transmission and progression, increases in mental and physical well-being, reduced healthcare costs, and increased lifespan.

How is Working with LGBTQ People Different?

Like any other patients, the LGBTQ community wants to be respected. At Beyond Primary Care, we work hard to treat all people equally. We treat the anatomy that is present in primary and preventative care but we always ask for preferred names and pronouns. We believe it is better to ask than to presume. We listen to what your care needs are and try to match you with resources and treatment as appropriate through various guidelines. 

Dr. O’Boyle has been working towards advancing healthcare for LGBTQ people since medical school. As a 4th year medical student, he had presented at both the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) and American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (ACOFP) conferences regarding the “Influence of physician message framing for Human Papillomavirus vaccination on young LGBT adults.” At one such event when Dr. O’Boyle was networking, Dr. O’Boyle met Laverne Cox (Orange Is The New Black).

Dr. Jeff O’Boyle (then a 4th year medical student) with Laverne Cox

Dr. O’Boyle is listed on the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA) as a local physician. 

Moving Towards A Better Future

We recognize that health disparities exist. We also recognize that we, the people of Ann Arbor, greater Michigan, and this great nation must unite together to form meaningful solutions. We commit to doing our small part here at Beyond Primary Care by continuously pushing the status quo of healthcare to become more inclusive and more mindful of the catastrophic financial effects our current healthcare system has on those who are most vulnerable. 

It’s small, but it’s what we can do well and what we promise to do for those in our care.

Thank you for reading.

- Dr. Jeff O’Boyle with Beyond Primary Care