Our goal is to reduce harm, foster belonging, and create a healthcare environment that is inclusive, affirming, and equitable for every student.
What We're Doing to Create Change
Here are some of the steps we’ve taken to make our care more equitable:
- Respecting Your Identity: You will have an opportunity to tell us how you self-identify on intake forms, and this information will pull into your medical chart so it’s available to the people taking care of you. Additionally, we will confirm your name and pronouns at every visit to ensure we address you correctly every time.
- Gender-Neutral Forms: Our medical forms are designed to focus on relevant health information—such as anatomy and behavior—rather than identity. This helps us make accurate medical decisions.
- Weight-Inclusive Practices: We default to weighing patients “closed” (without displaying the number) unless you request otherwise. Interpreting how your body size and shape support your health is something you and your provider can talk about together, if it is relevant. We will respect your right to decline being weighed altogether.
- Eliminating Race-Based Medical Calculations: We do not use race-based corrections in kidney function or lung function assessments. These outdated practices have racist underpinnings, and we rely on more accurate, equitable methods to measure your organ function.
- Inclusive Patient Education Materials: We are revising our materials to remove terms that aren’t inclusive, such as color-based descriptors that don’t describe all skin tones. We’re also adding visuals that represent a broader spectrum of bodies.
- Expanding Gender-Affirming Care: We are growing our Transgender and Gender Expansive Care services to ensure all UO students have timely access to gender-affirming hormone therapy.
- Updating our Language and our Built Environment: We’re investigating our spaces and our language to ensure it feels welcoming and is accessible.
- Language Interpretation Services: Every exam room and point of contact now includes access to live interpretation services for students who need to communicate in a language other than English.
- Ongoing Staff Education: Our medical teams participate in regular training on healthcare equity. We are committed to learning, unlearning, and growing together.
We’re Listening
We know we won’t get everything right. We will make mistakes. When we do, we invite you to tell us—so we can apologize, correct, and improve.
Your feedback matters. If you have suggestions for how we can do better, we welcome them with open hearts and minds.
With gratitude,
Your Medical Services team