Lessons Learned Developing Client Navigation for People who are Trans and Gender Diverse.

BACKGROUND

People who are trans and gender diverse (PTGD) are underserved regarding healthcare in Canada, including the province of Saskatchewan.

OBJECTIVES

Design and conduct a research project that will address immediate and pressing community-identified needs related to improving access to healthcare for PTGD in Saskatchewan.

METHODS

A multidisciplinary, community-based collaboration was established to address the self-identified obstacles to accessing healthcare of PTGD in Saskatchewan. This resulted in a pilot study creating and evaluating a healthcare navigation program.

LESSONS LEARNED

The project led to four key lessons: 1) prioritizing team building and the well-being of team members; 2) committing to community-based participatory approaches from the outset; 3) taking language seriously; and 4) acknowledging and addressing power imbalances in our team.

CONCLUSIONS

The lessons we learned have enabled us to sustain a large, diverse, research team that centers the experience of PTGD in Saskatchewan and is responsive to community need.