LGBTQ+ Veteran Care
All VA Long Beach employees receive training to ensure that clinical care is inclusive and respectful of the unique needs of LGBTQ+ Veterans. Our LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator is fully equipped to support the health, welfare, and dignity of you and your family.
Connect with a care coordinator
Megan Mortensen (She/Her) LCSW
LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator
VA Long Beach health care
Phone:
Email: Megan.Mortensen@va.gov
Care we provide at VA Long Beach health care
Our LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator can answer your questions, advocate for your right to quality care, address complaints or concerns, and help you get started with any of our services for LGBTQ+ Veterans. These include:
- Mental Health Services
- LGBTQ+ Groups
- Psychosocial Assessments and Letters of Support for Gender Affirming Care
- Hormone Therapy
- Gender Affirming Prosthetics
- Referrals to the Gender Affirming Program for Speech
- Testing and Treatment for HIV and STI’s
- PEP and PrEP Medications
- Linkage to LGBTQ+ Community Resources
- Prevention, Screening, Wellness, and Testing Services
Policies and practices to know
The LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator can help you initiate care or assist you with navigating any of the following needs:
Visitation: A same-sex partner, family member, friend, or other individual can be present with the patient for emotional support during the course of the patient's stay.
Definition of family: "Family" may include individual(s) not legally related to the individual. Family members include spouses, domestic partners, different-sex and same-sex significant others.
Advance directives: Veterans may designate any person as a decision-maker for care if they won't be able to make these decisions themselves. This includes same-sex partners. Advance directive agents are chosen by the Veteran and do not need to be biologically related.
Documentation in medical records: VA Long Beach maintains the confidentiality of information about sexual orientation, sexual behavior, and gender identity, just like any other private health information.
Changing name or sex in records: Your name in your medical record reflects your legal name. The sex in your medical record should reflect your self-identified gender. You have the right to request that your name and sex are updated as appropriate. You also have the right to add a preferred name for VA employees to use, if you are pending a legal name change. There are established procedures for changing your name, preferred name, and sex with the VA Privacy Officer.