Linda Ellis, executive director of the Atlanta Lesbian Health Initiative, led a Feb. 8 training session for DeKalb County health workers. (Photo by Matt Schafer)
Trainings aim to reduce homophobia as a health hazard Miami tragedy used to educate DeKalb workers
In
the
final
moments
of
Janice
Langbehn-Pond’s
life,
the
power
of
attorney
she
fastidiously
filled
out
didn’t
stop
her
from
dying
alone.
Her
partner
and
children
sat
a
room
away,
unable
to
see
her
or
make
medical
decisions.
Lisa
and
Janice
Langbehn-Pond
created
durable
powers
of
attorney
for
each
other,
living
wills
and
advance
directives
—
all
the
documents
gay
men
and
lesbians
are
told
will
protect
them
in
case
of
tragedy.
But
without
copies
in
hand
during
a
trip,
the
papers
were
worth
nothing.
A
year
ago
this
week,
the
Langbehn-Pond
family
settled
in
for
a
gay
"R
Family"
cruise.
But
while
the
ship
was
still
docked
in
a
Miami
port,
Lisa
suffered
a
brain
aneurysm
on
Feb.
18,
2007,
and
died
a
few
hours
later
in
a
local
hospital.
The
hospital
required
Janice
to
have
the
power
of
attorney
faxed
from
her
home
in
Portland,
Ore.,
before
doctors
would
discuss
her
partner’s
condition,
or
let
her
see
her.
Linda
Ellis,
executive
director
of
the
Atlanta
Lesbian
Health
Initiative,
discussed
the
Langbehn-Pond
family's
tragedy
in
a
Feb.
8
presentation
to
DeKalb
County
health
care
workers.
Gay
couples
can
never
count
on
receiving
fair
treatment,
Ellis
said.
“My
partner
and
I
both
have
power
of
attorney
forms
for
each
other,
and
whenever
we
leave
Atlanta
we
carry
them
with
us,”
Ellis
said.
“While
I
trust
that
my
local
practitioner
will
treat
us
as
a
couple,
if
we
get
into
an
accident
in
Cordele
on
the
way
to
the
beach,
I
don’t
trust
wherever
we
end
up
to
recognize
my
partner.”
One
of
ALHI’s
goals
is
to
hold
training
seminars
to
educate
healthcare
workers
on
gay
and
lesbian
medical
and
procedural
issues.
Most
of
those
who
attended
the
recent
meeting
deal
with
HIV
and
STDs.
They
were
familiar
with
gay
issues,
but
most
knew
nothing
about
lesbian
issues.
Carlos
Pavao,
a
community
administrator
for
the
DeKalb
Board
of
Health,
helped
organize
the
workshop
titled
“Effective
Outreach
for
the
Gay
and
Lesbian
Community.”
He
said
ALHI
offered
the
training
with
no
state
or
local
funds
to
defray
costs.
“I
didn’t
realize
some
things,
like
focusing
on
language,”
said
Christine
Palomino,
a
registered
nurse
at
DeKalb
Medical
Center.
“There
isn’t
a
lot
about
lesbian
health
concerns.
Even
our
procedures
and
protocols
address
gay
men
with
HIV
and
AIDS,
but
don’t
mention
lesbians.”
Questions
from
attendees
ranged
from
“What
does
the
Q
in
LGBTQ
stand
for?”
to
“I
have
patients
who
believe
they
aren’t
at
risk
for
STDs
because
they
are
lesbians.”
Cassie
Berlin
of
Mothers
Offering
Resources
&
Education,
asked,
“What
would
you
say
to
a
teenage
lesbian
who
is
struggling
coming
out
to
her
parents?”
MORE
offers
services
to
young
and
single
mothers
by
pairing
them
with
mothers
and
grandmothers.
“It
gave
me
a
greater
understanding
of
how
to
communicate
with
people
so
that
you’re
more
sensitive
to
their
needs,”
Berlin
said.
Some
practitioners
consider
women
to
be
sexually
inactive
once
they
tell
their
doctors
they
are
lesbians,
because
they
are
not
considered
to
have
sex
with
men.
Many
information
forms
assume
a
patient
is
heterosexual.
Issues
as
simple
as
asking
about
birth
control
and
relationship
status
can
frighten
off
lesbians
and
gay
men
in
need
of
medical
treatment,
Ellis
said.
“I
am
going
to
take
the
time
tell
you
I’m
not
married,
I’m
not
single,
widowed.
I
will
write
in
the
margins
that
I
am
in
a
committed
relationship
with
another
woman,
but
that’s
me,”
Ellis
said.
“Some
people
would
rather
not
go
to
the
doctor
than
answer
those
questions.”
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Gulfport-ly womyn on 2/16/088:16 AM:
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