Category Archives: Gender Health

April 18 is National Transgender HIV Testing Day. Do you know your status?

Eliminating the stigma begins with knowing your status. By Barrett White   On average, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are nearly 40,000 new HIV transmissions every year, with the highest rates found in the South—and of major cities in the South, Houston is a hotbed for new infections. In the most …

Legacy is still your home for medical care.

There is much confusion in these times, but Legacy wants you to know that you’re still welcome. By Barrett White   With all of the confusion around who is allowed to leave the home, and where you’re allowed to leave it to, and who is even open anyway – Legacy reminds you that we are …

Navigating the Trans Experience During Coronavirus/COVID-19

The Transgender Education Network of Texas is offering guidance for transgender patients during the pandemic. By Barrett White   The Transgender Education Network of Texas (TENT) provides shelter and safety for transgender Texans every day in the form of resources, community activism, and even grassroots work in Austin, but their work is especially important during …

Legacy Recognizes National Domestic Violence Awareness Month

October marks National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. We take this time to celebrate survivors, remember victims, and educate ourselves on this important issue. By Kristy Miller, Clinical Social Worker   The numbers speak for themselves: On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one …

Invisible Women: A Legacy of Lesbian Health

By Barrett White Though lesbian women have largely the same health concerns as their heterosexual counterparts, there are notable differences in the communities which often go overlooked in mainstream health care.   In many ways, lesbian women have the same healthcare needs as any woman, regardless of sexuality; however, unlike straight women, they are at …

Disparity, Dysphoria, and Deadnaming: Addressing the Health Care Gap for Transmen

According to a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, only 29 percent of providers were comfortable providing a cervical cancer screening to a transgender man. Eleven percent flat-out refused. Legacy aims to tackle the disparity. By Barrett White   Accessing health care can sometimes feel like an uphill battle regardless of who …

Legacy Montrose Lights Building in Honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance

Pictured: The Legacy Montrose building lit for Transgender Day of Remembrance in 2017.   By Barrett White Each year on November 20, we observe International Transgender Day of Remembrance. This year, Texas saw the murders of Dallas resident Karla Patricia Flores-Pavon and Brandi Seals, who was right here in Houston—and who was identified by the …

Sign up for a Legacy Public Health Class

A patient who is educated about their health is the best advocate for their own care. That is why we work with individuals, health care providers and communities to improve health outcomes. We are able to accomplish this through our education classes at many of our clinics and at community locations across Southeast Texas. Here …

Administration’s Transgender Proposal Not Based on Medical Science

Legacy Community Health, the largest community health center in Texas, today opposed the Trump Administration’s effort to re-write the way transgender Americans are treated under civil rights law.  The Administration is looking into making the legal definition of sex as a “biological, immutable condition,” thereby cutting transgender people out of civil rights protections. “Stigma and …

New Report: Most Maternal Deaths Preventable

By Barrett White A new report by the State of Texas has found that most maternal deaths could have been prevented with proper health care intervention. What the data says: The report, released Monday, states that nearly 80% of pregnancy-related deaths could have been prevented in 2012, the year in which the maternal mortality rates …