RHC Update:

December 2016

Hello Touro University California community! This website hasn't been updated in some time, but we are alive and well! We will be actively updating our website over the next few months. Stay tuned! In the interim, check us out on our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/turhc/

RHC Update: October 2013

UPDATE ITEMS:

1. RHC leadership meets with Touro Provost, Dr. Hopkins, to discuss non discrimination policy amendment  
2. GLMA Recommendations for LGBT issues in health professional schools (update by Irene Smarr)
3. Sexual medicine clinical integration for OMSI  
4. Establishing an elective rotation in Transgender Medicine in San Francisco
5. Has RHC become a frumpy student organization (should RHC party more)?!

RHC meets with Touro Provost Dr. Hopkins to discuss non discrimination policy amendment 

We did it! Our campus will amend its non discrimination policy. The new policy includes the exact language originally proposed by RHC to the administration. Both "gender identity" and "gender expression" will be explicitly enumerated as protected characteristics for all programs at Touro University, California. Thank you to everyone who participated. I especially want to thank new members who were responsible for collecting the majority of the signatures; also Apar, SGA president, who came with RHC leadership to present the signatures and discuss the issue, and (of course) RHC's new faculty advisor, Dr. Fagan.

GLMA Recommendations for LGBT issues in health professional schools

(This item comes from RHC's all-star secretary, Irene Smarr

GLA's Medschool Recommendation document has finally been created and released. We are already on our way! They emphasize the need to make the campus feel like a safe and open space and increasing awareness of health disparities among straight students; they emphasize things to do in addition to adapting curriculum to be inclusive. We have already championed the change of the non discrimination language (yeah!). 

After reading it, there are three things that stand out to me: 

• I'd really like to see the single stall bathrooms in Wilderman become unisex. 

• I'm reminded that we were going to get safe space markers for teacher offices

• Does Ed Bauer have a list of teachers/admin that are out and willing to be on a list as a resource for students who may not be out and go to him?

You can get a copy of the recommendations here

Sexual medicine clinical integration for OMSI

RHC has gotten approval to influence a clinical integration for first year COM! Contacts for this are Brenna Sommer and Dr. Fagan. We especially encourage OMSI members to get involved, and help gauge where your class is at in their understanding. We should form a working group for this, with discussion at our next general meeting.

Establishing an elective rotation in Transgender Medicine in San Francisco

If you are in the PA program, or know someone who is and wants to do a rotation in Transgender Medicine. Please contact me. The rest of this update pertains to COM only at this point.

I met with Dr. Troll last week, he is a faculty member involved in clinical education for COM. We went over the process for approving new elective rotation sites. Essentially, the process for approving an elective rotation for the entire class is the same as the process for an individual student. That is good news for us! The main requirement is to establish a faculty affiliation agreement with the proposed preceptors at the Lyon Martin Center. I will start the process later this semester, expect some updates. If you're interested in learning more about the rotation, visit http://project-health.org/clinical-rotation/.

Why hasn't RHC thrown a party yet, or done something social?

Good question, I don't know. In the past, RHC has had potlucks and social events (and sometimes less advocacy work). I'm not saying they're mutually exclusive at all. We may want to consider getting back on the party circuit.

**********************************
Thanks everyone, I'm thrilled to see new members stepping up and taking ownership of RHC. Let's keep the momentum going!!!

Sincerely,
RHC President

Rainbow Health Coalition Leadership 2013-2014

Rainbow Health Coalition Leadership 2013-2014:

Events Coordinator - Betty Sousa
Faculty Advisor - Dr. Strebel (not pictured)
President - Michael 'Flan' Ruderman
Secretary - Irene Smarr
Treasurer - Penny Boyle
Vice President - Brenna Sommer
Web Design - Daniel Frochtzwajg

Exodus International Apology...Long Time Coming

Click here to read current Exodus CEO public Apology

Video apology below:

Although Chambers apology is exceptional, there have already been previous public apologies from former leaders of the organization. A nice compilation follows:

House adds patient’s sexual orientation to AOA’s nondiscrimination statement

House adds patient’s sexual orientation to AOA’s nondiscrimination statement

Christine Fitzsimmons, OMS III, in 2011

This amendment to the AOA Code of Ethics started as an initiative by an osteopathic student group in Maine. Student organizations are indeed powerful!

Click here for feature story on LGBT DO's including interview with past RHC president!