37th Annual Mercy Lecture
Written by Kaylee Zukowski (Spring 2024)
After last year’s Mercy Lecture, there was a survey that the host had attendees complete in order to choose the best topic for this year’s event. With the help of the coordinators, the campus was able to have Jurg Oggenfuss as a special guest!
As the poster suggests, the event was on Monday April 29th from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Personally, I don’t like to be on campus late so I was not excited for this event. However, after attending, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I was fully invested in Oggenfuss’s presentation. He not only spoke about the LGBTIA+ community, but also gave a small lecture on HIV regarding how it used to be called the “gay disease” back when it was first spreading. Unfortunately, there are still some bad stereotypes regarding those who contract HIV, despite it not necessarily being their fault. Shockingly, these opinions can also be held by healthcare workers, who turn down patients or spread this misinformation due to an incorrect knowledge base.
Not only did Oggenfuss talk about what he has heard from patients regarding discrimination for having HIV, but he also spoke about the discrimination from some healthcare workers towards the LGBTQIA+ community. Statistics reveal that transgender individuals are the most at risk/vulnerable in healthcare due to being dead named, suffering from gender dysphoria, and more. He reports that even some of his own patients had expressed previously being declined care or had a bad experience due to their gender identity. I have many friends who identify as transgender so I understood the struggles they go through due to the stories that they would tell me. Oggenfuss expressed how it is important in his practice to provide gender affirming care, ask for pronouns, and ask those uncomfortable questions about who patients have intercourse with. It’s important to ask these questions to not miss information that could be vital to the patient’s condition or history.
As a nursing major myself, I think it’s important to really recognize each aspect of the patient and provide holistic care. Many times, I have had patients that complained they felt that the doctors or medical professionals weren’t really caring about them as a person, but rather identifying them with their health issues. It’s important to look at the full picture and get to know the patients, which is the goal of Oggenfuss’s small practice. Thankfully, due to Oggenfuss’s practice being so small, he is able to spend as much time as needed with the patients (realistically) which can lead to a better understanding as well as a connection with the professional. Maybe it could even lead to the patient reporting more with the doctor than if there was no connection or comfortability!
Overall, the presentation was very informative and Jurg’s Oggenfuss’ practice is something I would definitely go to check out if you are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and need a healthcare provider.
Featured Photograph by University of Saint Joseph Department of Nursing
