October: Title X is Restored & Moving Forward

October 2021: Issue 10

This newsletter was developed (in part) with federal funds from the Office of Population Affairs. For more information on the rules and regulations that apply to our programs, please visit

https://www.hhs.gov/opa/title-x-family-planning/index.html

Wyoming Health Council contributes to health and well-being for all, where we grow, live, learn, work and play.

Comprehensive Health Care is Back!

Victory! Final Title X Family Planning Rule Released!

On October 4, 2021, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Population Affairs (OPA) amended the Title X Family Planning regulations to restore access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services for more Americans!

Ensuring such access for all clients, especially for low-income clients, in the Title X program creates opportunities for realigning the nation's family planning program with nationally recognized standards of care and improving the health of communities that have been historically underserved. The 2021 regulations also reinforce the program’s central tenets of quality, equity, and dignity for all individuals who seek Title X services and modernizes the more than 50-year-old program to better reflect the current healthcare system.

The rule has a 30-day effective date from publication in the Federal Register, which means the rule is scheduled to go into effect on November 8, 2021.

NFPRHA Applauds Final Title X Family Planning Rule

The following is a statement from Clare Coleman, President & CEO of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA).

“NFPRHA is thrilled to see the Biden administration officially rescind the 2019 Title X program rule. Today’s action is a pivotal step toward restoring access to essential family planning and sexual health care that millions of people rely on from Title X. Safety-net family planning providers should be heartened to know they have the full support of the federal government in delivering health care governed with integrity and with the highest regard for patients’ health needs. The cruel restrictions under the previous administration splintered the network of family planning providers and decimated access to preventive health care for people living with low incomes – particularly those who already face systemic barriers to health care, including immigrants, people of color, women, people who are LGBTQ, and indigenous people.

“The need to strengthen the Title X program is more urgent than ever, with the twin burdens of the COVID-19 pandemic and the previous rule. We are encouraged that longstanding, highly qualified providers that withdrew from the program and have been without critical funding for more than two years can begin to rejoin the program under these new rules.

“Today is an enormous victory for family planning providers in communities across the country and for their patients. We are grateful to the Biden administration for delivering on its promise to make it right for Title X. We also look forward to continuing to work with the administration in rebuilding the network and expanding access to family planning care for all who need it.”

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Read the Final Title X Rule Here

Click Here to go to Twitter

So what does this mean for Title X Grantees and Subrecipients right now?

The final rule means so much for Title X clinics, but here are a few of the highlights!

Clinics can now return to providing pregnant patients with comprehensive non-directive counseling on all their options and referrals upon request!

Clinics are once again required to provide a broad range of contraceptive methods!

Allowing RNs to return to their full scope of practice!

The Wyoming Health Council is in the process of starting to make changes to deliverables, protocols, policies and procedures to align with the 'new' regulations. But again, this will not go into effect until November 8th, 2021.

If you have questions feel free to reach out to the Wyoming Health Council at

307-439-2033

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Breast cancer is an uncontrolled growth of the breast cells.

About 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime an breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women (lung being the first).

Individuals should know how to do a self breast exam every month! Not only to familiarize yourself with how your breasts normally look and feel, but to look any changes in breast tissue!

Breast cancer symptoms vary widely — from lumps to swelling to skin changes — and many breast cancers have no obvious symptoms at all. Look for:

swelling of all or part of the breast
skin irritation or dimpling
breast pain
nipple pain or the nipple turning inward
redness, scaliness, or thickening of the nipple or breast skin
a nipple discharge other than breast milk
a lump in the underarm area

If you're over 40 or at a high risk of breast cancer, you should also have an annual mammogram and physical exam by a doctor. The earlier breast cancer is found and diagnosed, the better your chances of beating it!

What It's Like to Be a Male Breast Cancer Survivor

Breast cancer in men is a rare disease. Less than 1% of all breast cancers occur in men. In 2021, about 2,650 men are expected to be diagnosed with the disease, and an estimated 530 men are expected to die from breast cancer. For men, the lifetime risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer is about 1 in 833.

You may be thinking: Men don't have breasts, so how can they get breast cancer? The truth is that boys and girls, men and women all have breast tissue. The various hormones in girls' and women's bodies stimulate the breast tissue to grow into full breasts. Boys' and men's bodies normally don't make much of the breast-stimulating hormones. As a result, their breast tissue usually stays flat and small.

Because men are not routinely screened for the disease breast cancer tends to be more advanced in men when it is first detected. Some factors that increase breast cancer risks in men are:

Growing older
High estrogen levels
Hormone Therapy
Klinefelter syndrome
Family history of breast cancer or genetic mutation
Liver Disease
Overweight and obesity
Radiation exposure

If you are a man and have questions, contact your local provider today!

Male Breast Cancer

National LGBTQ Cancer Network

LGBTQ+ community members have been shown to be significantly less likely to be screened for breast cancer or receive a mammogram.

Studies suggest that some lesbian and bisexual women get less routine health care than other women, including breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screening tests. Some of the reasons for this include fear of discrimination, low rates of health insurance and negative experiences with health care providers and medical care.

Lesbian and bisexual women also have higher rates of a number of breast cancer risk factors, including increased alcohol use, higher rates of smoking, obesity, and nulliparity.

Transgender people have often been excluded from breast and chest cancer awareness information because most information is framed through the lens of cisgender women, according to Fenway Focus. Further, they may not get breast/chest cancer screenings because they have undergone gender-affirming surgery to remove some breast/chest tissue (though screening is still needed in this instance) or they might avoid undergoing screenings because breast/chest tissue might trigger intense dysphoria.

The National Center for Transgender Equality notes that for transgender women, the risk of breast cancer increases following breast development and five or more years of hormone therapy.

For a transgender man, excessive testosterone can be converted into estrogen by the body, which leads to increased cancer risk. Additionally, transgender men may feel uncomfortable with either self-exams or medical exams, and may not realize that top surgery does not remove all breast/chest tissue.

At the end of the day, regardless of a person’s gender identity, self-examination and early-detection tests can be life-saving!

________Get Your History On!______

In 1994, Missouri high school teacher Rodney Wilson came out to his students while teaching a history lesson about the Holocaust. He explained to his class that had he lived during that time, he may not have survived because he was gay.

Inspired by this pivotal moment, Rodney founded LGBTQ History Month to celebrate the impactful stories of the LGBTQ community and educate against the homophobia that was fueled by the AIDS crisis. Rodney chose October to coincide with National Coming Out Day on October 11th, and to commemorate the first and second marches on Washington, D.C. for LGBTQ rights in 1979 and 1987. October is also a month when school is in session, and Rodney saw this as an opportunity to teach young people about LGBTQ history more broadly.

LGBTQ Historical Dates Here

Why should teens learn about LGBTQ history?

It's important for students to understand the extreme discrimination, struggles and successes of LGBTQ Americans in past decades.

All students do better when they receive a full picture of the past – and that includes LGBTQ history, says Eliza Byard, executive director of GLSEN. "There are periods of U.S. history that make a lot more sense when you include LGBT history," she says.

LGBTQ youth, in particular, benefit tremendously from seeing themselves accurately presented in the curriculum, says Byard. LGBTQ youth tend to feel ostracized and are at a higher risk of suicide – anything teachers can do to present validation and support is a huge benefit in helping them feel less invisible, alone or uncomfortable.

For more LGBTQ history, check out the new documentary

Cured

The film depicts the inner workings of the campaign that led to homosexuality being delisted from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973.