Alex Barrera, DDS
After we first met Dr. Alex Barrera final summer time, we knew he was a trailblazer.
In 2019, Barrera created the Houston Equality Dental Community (HEDN), a dentistry group organized particularly for LGBTQ+ dental professionals and sufferers, after experiencing firsthand discrimination as a homosexual dentist and dealing with sufferers who’ve confronted comparable challenges.
Since then, he has been an unimaginable useful resource for his group, sharing perception and knowledge together with a blueprint for finest practices in treating the LGBTQ+ group. He has additionally been an incredible useful resource for DentaQuest — do not miss Barrera’s wonderful visitor weblog publish, 5 Issues Dentists Can Do to Assist LGBTQ Individuals Really feel Open to Care, for his experience on how suppliers and the oral well being group can work towards a extra inclusive care atmosphere.
Past HEDN, Barrera practices at Legacy Group Well being, a Federally Certified Well being Heart that helps deal with the underserved and uninsured inhabitants of Houston. He’s additionally an authorized yoga teacher and has taught free yoga courses to dentists in partnership with the American Dental Affiliation.
In recognition of his dedication and the significance of his work, we’re delighted to call Barrera a 2022 Well being Fairness Hero.
“Being chosen as a Well being Fairness Hero is an unimaginable honor,” Barrera mentioned. “It jogs my memory that although work in advocacy and social justice might be tough, there are organizations like DentaQuest that proceed to assist individuals like me preventing to advance oral well being fairness.”
Beneath, we share excerpts from a dialog by which Barrera mentioned the distinctive oral well being challenges skilled by LGBTQ+ sufferers, how this disproportionately impacts their total well being and the way suppliers can higher assist their care.
Dr. Barrera leads by instance, proving that collectively, we are able to enhance the oral well being system so it really works higher for everybody. And that’s what DentaQuest’s Well being Fairness Heroes is all about.
In what methods do LGBTQ+ individuals face inequality in oral healthcare? What retains sufferers away from dental appointments?
The LGBTQ+ group is recognized as a “well being disparity inhabitants,” due primarily to lowered entry to well being care. Sadly, a few of this comes all the way down to LGBTQ+ sufferers avoiding medical therapy as a consequence of previous discrimination and worry of stigma. When LGBTQ+ individuals belong to different marginalized teams, similar to being an individual of colour or having a incapacity, it turns into much more tough to search out accessible, non-biased care.
Are LGBTQ+ individuals at larger danger for oral well being points? How does this join with different areas of well being?
LGBTQ+ sufferers are likely to have a historical past of discrimination or worry on the subject of searching for out well being care, and since dental care is such an intimate expertise, many queer sufferers are likely to delay oral well being care till it’s too late. This results in larger incidences of ache, dental emergencies and monetary struggles.
LGBTQ+ people, particularly these of decrease socioeconomic standing, have larger incidences of alcohol, tobacco and drug use and are more likely to expertise psychological well being points similar to melancholy, nervousness, physique dysmorphia and consuming problems — all of this resulting in larger incidences of oral well being issues.
Why did you and your associates begin the HEDN? What has the community achieved?
The aim of our group is to advance equality for queer dental professionals of their work and studying environments, whereas additionally fostering consciousness and analysis in oral well being disparities on this inhabitants.
HEDN has been capable of present free persevering with schooling programs for dental professionals on subjects distinctive to the LGBTQ+ group. Moreover, our platform has allowed us to be vocal and current on LGBTQ+ care to numerous dental faculties and group organizations across the nation. Our group has given again to the native queer group by offering oral well being data periods to LGBTQ+ teams round Houston and supplied free digital dental consultations to assist LGBTQ+ people acquire entry to dental care.
How can dentists be allies for each other, their sufferers and the group?
As well being care and dentistry proceed to make progress, the one manner we are able to have true equality is thru the allyship of our heterosexual colleagues and people in management positions. I encourage all dental professionals to take the time to query their very own unconscious biases and to additionally embody LGBTQ+ subjects when searching for out persevering with schooling and trainings for themselves and their employees members. It is just with continued consciousness, schooling and celebration, that we are able to come collectively to make sure that the world is a safer and happier place for all.
Click on right here to learn extra about DentaQuest’s 2022 Well being Fairness Heroes.
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