Navigating Health Care

- Personal Advocacy Skills
- Working with an Advocate
- Care Provider Stigma
- Rights + Responsibilities

Stigma and discrimination are disturbingly common reported aspects of accessing health care for peers, and intersectionally, individuals with multiple barriers or axis of oppression can experience compounded challenges in accessing care. Racism, transphobia, homophobia, classism, sexism, ableism all can impact the quality of care a patient may access. When negative experiences build up, individuals may find their trauma or anxiety about how they may be treated can also impact the ability to understand the information given, make clear choices, feel heard or remain present.

Developing and practicing skills, understanding our rights, and utilizing tools may all help improve the quality of care a peer may access. Ultimately, improving the treatment that peers receive from health care providers is the responsibility of the providers. This module aims to give peers support and tools to navigate the system as it is- while ultimately pushing the system to improve the service it offers.

Potential Learning Outcomes

Understand and practice skills and strategies for navigating health care systems.

Discussion Topics
What tools can we use to help advocate for our needs in a health care interaction?

Identifying what we know
Clarifying the problem.
Identifying our needs
Communicating clearly
Taking notes
Asking Questions
Following up

What sort of things do you do to prepare for an appointment? During? After?

Written notes, lists
Roleplay
Debrief

What is an advocate?

Someone who can help us have our needs heard

How can I arrange accompaniment to appointments?

Personal Networks
Social Service Providers
Health Care Navigators

What aspects of your identity, appearance or experience have been subject to stigma from providers? What are the unseen gifts of these aspects of self?

Street involvement, poverty → problem-solving skills, resilience, resourceful
Mental health challenges → broad perspective, compassion, creative
Gender + Sexuality → personal and community resilience, truth, integrity
Sex work involvement → business skills, personal advocacy, acting

What are our rights in accessing care? What can we expect and demand? What are our responsibilities?

Medical treatment should be provided in a way that respects the dignity and autonomy of the individual being treated.
Asking the clinic for their guidelines, rights and responsibilities.

How are doctors, nurses and other health care workers held accountable? What is the process for making complaints if mistreated?

Complaints made first to provider, then to clinic management, then to Patient Care Quality Office (PCQO). Advocates, social workers or human service workers may assist in making or following up complaints.