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LGBTQ+ Veteran care

VA North Texas employees receive training in clinical care that is responsive to the unique needs of LGBTQ+ Veterans. Our trained LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinator is fully equipped to support the health, welfare, and dignity of you and your family.

Connect with our LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinator

 

Dr. Holland-deguire

Christopher Holland-Deguire, PsyD

LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinator, staff psychologist

VA North Texas health care

Phone:

Care we provide at VA North Texas

Our LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinators can answer your questions, advocate for your right to quality care, handle complaints or concerns you have about your care, and help you get started with any of our services for LGBTQ+ Veterans. These include:

  • Mental health services, including psychosocial assessments for hormone therapy and gender confirming surgeries
  • Creative arts therapies
  • Hormone therapy
  • Gender-affirming prosthetics
  • Testing, counseling, and care for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, counseling, and care, including post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for Veterans at risk for HIV
  • Other prevention, screening, wellness, and testing services

Policies and practices to know

The care coordinator can help you get started with care or with navigating any of these issues.

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 North Texas 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 will reflect 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. There are established procedures for changing your name and sex with the VA Privacy Officer.

VA North Texas LGBTQ+ safe space provider directory

Our LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinators can answer your questions, advocate for your right to quality care, handle complaints or concerns you have about your care, and help you get started with any of our services for LGBTQ+ Veterans.

Category Provider Pronouns Department Role Degree Location Medical certification Mental health certification Admin Reba Pollard She/Her Patient administrative services Patient flow expediter/bed control RN Dallas X Inpatient Stephen Sissons He/Him Nursing TICU/SICU bedside nurse BSN/RN Dallas X Medical Renata Harris She/Her Nursing Registered nurse RN, BSN Dallas X Medical Karen E. Yandell She/Her CLC-C wing Charge nurse BSN Bonham X Medical Lillian Medhus She/Her Gynecology, Surgical service Nurse practitioner DNP, WHNP-BC, CNM Dallas X Medical Belinda Sweet She/Her Nursing Clinic nurse BSN Bonham X Medical Linda A Oliver She/Her Nursing LVN LVN Bonham X Medical Kathryn Nelson She/Her Anesthesia and pain management services Assistant chief certified registered nurse anesthetist MSN, BSN, BA in psychology Dallas X Medical Ricky Harden He/Him Radiology services Lead technologist, Vascular & interventional radiology BS in radiologic service Dallas X Medical Hannah Omonzogie She/Her Surgical services Ophthalmology nurse LVN Dallas X Medical Erin Messick She/Her Clinical research nit Clinical research coordinator MS Dallas Medical Christopher Harvey He/Him Audiology & speech pathology Audiologist Au.D. Dallas Medical Ruth Pinkerton She/Her Vascular surgery Physician assistant PA-C Dallas/Ft. Worth MH Christopher Holland-Deguire He/Him Mental health Psychologist & LGBTQ+ VCC PsyD Dallas MH Carl L. Grahn He/Him Mental health Psychologist PsyD Ft. Worth X MH Kent Ross He/Him Mental health Community integration specialist Certified peer specialist Ft. Worth X MH Jenny Esparza She/Her Mental health Senior social worker MBA, LCSW-S. PMP Dallas X MH Ashley McLaurin She/Her Mental health HCHV outreach social worker LMSW Dallas X MH Demetrice Roberson-Gaines She/Her Mental health Vocational rehab specialist ABD, MA Fort Worth X MH Scott Woods He/Him Mental health Psychologist PsyD Tyler X MH Sherrie St. Cyr She/Her Mental health Clinical social worker PCMHI MSSW Bonham X MH Robert Pugh He/Him Mental health Program support assistant MBA Fort Worth MH Ariel Brown She/Her Mental health Social worker MSW, LCSW-S Dallas X X MH Riley Cook She/Her Clinical research Study coordinator, Mental health MS Dallas X MH Beth Snear She/Her Mental health Social worker LMSW Dallas X MH Thomas Lane He/Him Bonham domiciliary Addiction therapist BS, LCDC Bonham X MH Julia Evans She/Her Mental health PTSD/SUD psychologist PhD Dallas X MH Shanell Williams She/Her Mental health Social worker LMSW Fort Worth X MH Alexandria Marshall She/Her Mental health Occupational therapist MS, OTR/L Dallas MH Monica J Kelly She/Her Mental health Senior social worker LCSW Bonham X PACT Courtney Wayne She/Her Social work service Social worker, LGBTQ+ SEPM MA, LCSW, CCM Garland X X PACT Nicole Goulding She/Her Ambulatory care, SCI, Whole health Radiation oncology therapist, NBWHC MSRS Dallas X X PACT Kim Canova-Romans She/Her Recreation therapy Certified therapeutic recreation specialist BS Dallas/Ft Worth X X PACT Yolanda L. Cates She/Her MAS AOD Dallas PACT Johnny Trinh He/Him Social work service Social worker LMSW Garland X PACT Kayla Acomb She/Her Nutrition and food service Eating disorder RD BS, RD North Texas PACT Charles Clift He/Him PACT RN Nurse RN Garland PACT Johnny Trinh He/Him Social work service Social worker LMSW Garland
VA North Texas has received the designation of “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 15th-anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI)

VA North Texas has received the designation of “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 15th-anniversary edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI), the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of their LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.

This designation is the highest possible score a VHA facility can get as we do not currently have access to gender-affirming surgical procedures within VHA facilities across the country.

This accomplishment places VA North Texas as one of two LGBTQ+ HEI Top Performers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, as well as one of two VHA facilities within VISN 17 to hold this status.