Health haven for lesbians.For many lesbian patients and their caregivers, dealing with cancer can mean dealing with a lack of resources. New York's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender transgender or transgendered adj. Transsexual. Community Center recently launched the Lesbian Cancer Initiative, a first-of-its-kind program in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. . "The New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of center is often referred to as Grand Central Station for LGBT LGBT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender people," says Liz Margolies, coordinator for the initiative. "In a similar way we wanted this place to be an Ellis Island Ellis Island, island, c.27 acres (10.9 hectares), in Upper New York Bay, SW of Manhattan island. Government-controlled since 1808, it was long the site of an arsenal and a fort, but most famously served (1892–1954) as the chief immigration station of the United for lesbians with cancer." The initiative provides a variety of non-medical services, including education, support groups, and a patient navigation system. "Because lesbians are at higher risk of developing cancer there is a great need for this," Margolies says. Some estimates put the instances of cancer among lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women at two to three times that of their straight counterparts. As a group, they are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, be overweight, and have children at an older age or not at all. Due to fears of discrimination and lack of health insurance, they are less likely to have routine medical screenings that would pick up cancer at an early stage. |
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