More about Removing the Barriers

RTB was developed by the Mautner Project in 1997 in contract with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Removing the Barriers program is provided through partnerships with local gay and lesbian community-based organizations, Breast and Cervical Cancer Detection and Prevention programs, and state health departments throughout the country.  Through the Mautner Project’s Removing the Barriers Trainers Institute, certified trainers are available to deliver this interactive, experiential program in any setting.

RTB Objectives

The objectives for each training program are:

• To define the dimensions of culture and the principles of culturally competent medical care
• Discuss diversity of the population described as lesbian or women who partner with women
• List individual, structural and institutional factors that affect access to health care and result in barriers to screening for breast and cervical cancer among lesbians
• Describe ways in which a culturally competent approach can reduce or eliminate barriers to accessing health care and cancer screening
• Demonstrate the application of principles of cultural competency to your medical practice
• Implement a plan for applying the skills learned, and help you locate resources to facilitate ongoing education and skill building in providing optimal care to lesbians

 The REMOVING THE BARRIERS TO ACCESSING HEALTH CARE FOR LESBIANS replication and dissemination project uses the principles of cultural competency to build skills and enhance health care provider knowledge of the issues affecting lesbian and women who partner with women.  The training describes the barriers faced by lesbians as they try to access health care services, and gives providers the tools they need to dismantle those barriers within their practices and/or institutions.  Providers can work to increase their comfort discussing sexuality with their patients, develop a common language around sexuality and generally create an environment where all their patients, regardless of sexual orientation or behavior, feel comfortable and safe to share important personal information.

Right: Amikaeyla Gaston, SPIRIT Health Education Specialist and RTB Trainer