Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives - Gold
Best in Show Finalist
The article “Meeting the Healthcare Needs of Transgender People” highlights the work of the TransWellness Centers at Montefiore Health System in the Bronx, New York, which provide comprehensive health care to people whose gender doesn’t match the sex they were assigned at birth. Readers hear firsthand from the TransWellness Centers’ director, Robert Beil, MD, about the centers’ genesis, his motivations, and how revolutionizing the health care landscape makes for a better world.
The article appeared across both print and digital forms in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue of Einstein magazine, intended for alumni, faculty, students, friends, and supporters of Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Health System. Einstein’s Philip and Rita Rosen Department of Communications and Public Affairs (DCPA) runs the magazine, and we, as Office of Development and Alumni Relations partners, publish, on average, three of our own philanthropy-minded articles in each issue.
The piece appeared as a complement to an article in the same issue spearheaded by Einstein’s DCPA. That story, “A Welcoming Place for LGBTQ Patients,” provides a broader look into our institutional services and allowed us to focus on the TransWellness Centers more deeply in “Meeting the Healthcare Needs of Transgender People.”
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
The most impactful part of our entry is the role this article can and will play in the larger LGBTQ health care revolution. As noted in the entry, a 2020 survey conducted by the Center for American Progress found that 47% of transgender people stayed away from doctors’ offices to avoid discrimination. Let that sink in, if you will: The American health care system has caused nearly HALF of transgender people to feel unwelcome and less-than. As an ally institution, we are proud to play any and every role we can to bring awareness to LGBTQ health and, beyond that, to offer mental and physical services to anyone who needs us. If even one person sees this article and comes to our TransWellness Centers for care they would have eschewed otherwise, we will feel accomplished.
What is one thing you learned from your entry/experience?
One thing we learned was the importance of authenticity. When discussing the article idea in its nascent stage, we weren’t immediately sure how to approach it. We thought, for example, spotlighting a patient voice might be impactful or that we might introduce Beil through a day-in-the-life lens. These approaches ultimately fell flat to us, though, as they didn’t reveal the nuances from Beil’s 25+ years at Einstein and Montefiore and the journey he made to get his programming where it is today. Ultimately, combining a Q&A format with a timeline allowed his voice to shine — and at a time in history when so many voices are suppressed, we wanted to be sure his was loud and clear.
Contact:
Rachel Eddey
reddey@montefiore.org