First up we have Chase Glenn, Director of LGBTQ+ Health Services @MUSChealth
Some population estimates in SC⬇️
50% of LGBTQ+ adults said their doctors didn’t know their gender identity.
LGBTQ+ youth are 2-3x more likely to attempt suicide, more likely to be homeless, higher rates of tobacco, alcohol and drug use.
Our systems are designed to contribute to these disparities. We must address these systems and social determinants of health if we want to address these disparities.
Here is a rundown of what the #scleg was up to this year. Dangerous, dangerous bills for trans youth in SC. These bills will keep coming back so we must keep fighting for the trans youth in SC.
So happy to have @chase_a_glenn here @MUSChealth to help us move forward on this critical issue to support the population we serve.
Been getting some questions about a new @JAMAPediatrics study on 8-12 y/o kids & their behavior around guns after watching a 1 min gun safety video. Teaching kids about gun safety is a smart precaution, but it’s critical for adults to remember that it’s NEVER a guarantee.🧵
Quick background: the research here finds that children who viewed a gun safety video at home & found a real gun hidden in a drawer in a lab were more cautious than children in a control group who viewed a car safety video at home.
The study consisted of 216 kids aged 8 to 12 years. 112 of them watched the gun safety video. 38 out of the 112 told an adult when they found a gun. 44 of them touched a gun (that's almost 40% of them👀).
All of this involved doctor’s appointments, testing, exams, trips to the pharmacy, daily reminders, medical procedures, health insurance, healthcare access, transportation, financial resources, medical knowledge, not to mention dealing with medication side effects.
According to the Turnaway Study, from first intercourse to menopause it would take 6,844 oral contraceptive pills to have only two children over a lifetime. And there is still an unintended pregnancy rate of 0.1-2.0 over a lifetime.
My position on “late term abortions for convenience” is similar to my position on brain transplants. I don’t have one because they don’t exist.
Less than 1% of abortions happen in the third trimester. These circumstances are by definition tragic. These decisions are never easy, and are always personal.
As a doctor, I have been in the ultrasound room, the delivery room, and the NICU when parents are grappling with the unthinkable.
These situations WILL NEVER be made easier with government intrusion into personal medical decisions.
The formula shortage, and the subsequent use of babies (BABIES!!!) as political pawns, is personal to me. As a mom and a pediatrician.
I have three kids. When my oldest was born, she couldn’t latch. We tried everything. EVERYTHING. 1/6
I didn’t sleep for days after she was born. We saw multiple lactation consultants. My husband taped a tiny tube to his finger to get her to eat just drops of colostrum.
I was beside myself. I wanted nothing more than to nurse her. 2/6
I was devastated & felt like a failure. The first time I offered her a bottle, I cried when she latched so easily to it. Why would she choose a bottle over me?
I spent the next 12 mo obsessed with pumping & recording every ounce she ate. Formula was our security blanket. 3/6
On my 10 year anniversary of becoming a mother, I have some thoughts on parenting and how it drove me to run for office.
A thread.
1/9
For three decades, I walked through life assuming there was some sort of implied agreement that we all want what is best for children. I didn’t see how wrong I was until I was a mother.
2/9
Not only are many of our elected officials not focused on fighting for what’s best for the next generation, they aren’t even concerned about setting a good example for our children.
3/9
Secure storage can also prevent youth suicide and unintentional shootings, where a child gains access to an unsecured firearm and unintentionally pulls the trigger. 3/