Grace Cottage’s Carr, Burch speak at LGBTQIA+ Health Summit

Two of Grace Cottage Family Health’s nurse practitioners, Summer Burch and Juliette Carr, led a session at the Vermont LGBTQIA+ Health Summit on April 22 at Vermont Technical College in Randolph.

The summit, which was organized by Out in the Open, Outright Vermont and Pride Center of Vermont, brought together members of the LGBTQIA+ community, their family members, caregivers, social service organizations and health care providers to collaboratively explore their health and wellness needs and strategies for serving these communities.  Out in the Open, Outright Vermont and the Pride Center of Vermont are the three major organizations supporting Vermont’s LGBTQIA+ community.

Burch and Carr’s talk,  “LGBTQ+ Primary Care,” began with a presentation of some of their clinical experiences serving LGBTQ+ patients at Grace Cottage. They also spoke of the work Grace Cottage has done to be a safe and welcoming medical environment for this population. This was followed by a sharing session, during which other healthcare providers were asked to describe what has worked well in their practices. Members of the LGBTQ+ community were then asked which healthcare approaches have been most helpful and supportive and what they want providers to know.

“We really appreciated being invited to this summit,” says Carr. “It was good to be in a supportive environment to share about this hugely important and timely topic, especially when the national conversation is concerning.”

“I’m honored that the summit chose us to speak,” says Burch. “It was good to share our journey thus far and to learn about ways to continue working in partnership.”

Grace Cottage provides healthcare that is supportive of all members of the community, and several Grace Cottage primary care providers are particularly focused on caring for LGBTQ+ patients. Click here for more information about Grace Cottage.