Providing LGBTQ Mississippians with clinical care
The University of Mississippi Medical Center TEAM (Trustworthy, Evidence-Based, Affirming, and Multidisciplinary) Clinic is designed to serve the LGBTQ community in Mississippi. It is a collection of different departments across the UMMC campus that operates on the first Friday of each month to see patients at one of their outpatient locations.
The clinic does primary care for members of the LGBTQ community and is currently working to grow and improve the array of services that they have for patients. They are sponsored by the Center for LGBTQ Health at UMMC, focusing on clinical care, education work, and research.
“We’re here at the university to serve all three million people who call Mississippi home, and there are no exceptions to that. We don’t turn anyone away. We want to be there for the entire population, and that includes the LGBTQ population,” said Dr. Scott Rodgers, Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at UMMC.
The TEAM Clinic will be using the LGBTQ Fund of Mississippi grant money to provide clinical services to patients in need and to help them offset medical expenses when insurance doesn’t cover their services. The TEAM Clinic developed out of a need for more specialized LGBTQ health care options in the state of Mississippi. Their mission is to provide high quality care that improves the lives of LGBTQ individuals.
Creating a safe space for LGBTQ people who need health care
“In healthcare, there’s often a fear among LGBTQ people of being out at the workplace, around family, and, unfortunately, around their physicians and other health care providers. There are plenty of examples of health care providers in Mississippi who do not judge LGBTQ patients and who are very affirming and supportive, but there’s still this fear among the community that you can’t be open, out and authentic when you go and talk to your doctor,” said Dr. Rodgers.
“In the area of mental health, we see higher rates of problems like depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behavior, and substance use disorders, and the highest risk group in the LGBTQ population involves trans youth, where we have alarmingly high rates of suicidal ideation and behavior. The clinic, its presence and its openness, sends a powerful message that we are here for you, we are not going to judge you. You may come here and receive help, and you can tell us your story and you can be open and honest. We’re going to do as much as we can to be helpful to you,” said Dr. Rodgers.
“We’re trying to do everything we can to educate the population here, both non-LGBTQ and LGBTQ. This is a marginalized population that faces harassment, discrimination, bullying, and victimization. It’s important to send a strong, positive, inclusive message to this group and to the surrounding community. We need to be allies. We need to be in this together, and in support of one another.”
The TEAM Clinic offers specialized services that promote the physical and mental well-being of LGBTQ individuals, like primary care, gender affirmative medicine and hormone therapy, HIV/STD screening and treatment, and behavioral health services, including therapy and medication management.
Reducing health disparities for the LGBTQ population
“For many of us who have been called to healthcare, the original reason for doing so was about service. It was about taking care of people. If you take that mission seriously and you become more aware of the disparities that exist in regard to sexual minority groups, you realize that as a healthcare provider working in Mississippi, you potentially have a role to play in trying to eliminate or reduce some of this inequity and some of these healthcare disparities,” said Dr. Rodgers.
“I want people to have compassion for all human beings, including LGBTQ people. I also hope that we can influence the way LGBTQ people think about themselves. I think about young people who are looking at their lives and feel very alone, and they feel like there is no hope for them. I hope that stories like this, and what the LGBTQ Fund is doing, and what our clinic is doing, I hope that people will hear about this and feel just a glimmer of hope. Just experience that for a moment. And that’s enough to be life-saving sometimes,” said Dr. Rodgers.
“The vision is for people who are LGBTQ to feel that they are equal to everyone else and that they are valued like everyone else. That their health matters, like everyone else. I want the population here in Mississippi to thrive and feel that their life has meaning and purpose,” said Dr. Rodgers.
To schedule an appointment with the TEAM Clinic, call (601) 984-2644. The clinic is located at Riverchase Medical Building: 2550 Flowood Drive, Flowood, MS 39232.
For routine, non-confidential, non-emergency information, email the TEAM Clinic at TEAMClinic@umc.edu. To learn more, visit their website or view their list of resources.