LGBTQ+ Veteran Care
All VA Long Beach employees receive training to ensure that clinical care is inclusive and respectful of the unique needs of LGBTQ+ Veterans. Our LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator is fully equipped to support the health, welfare, and dignity of you and your family.
Connect with a care coordinator
Megan Mortensen (She/Her) LCSW
LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator
VA Long Beach health care
Phone:
Email: Megan.Mortensen@va.gov
Care we provide at VA Long Beach health care
Our LGBTQ+ Veteran care coordinators can answer your questions, advocate for your right to quality care, assist with complaints or concerns you have about your care, and help you get started with any of our services. These include:
- Primary Care
- Mental health care
- Hormone therapy, in limited circumstances
- Testing, counseling, and care for HIV and sexually transmitted infections, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for Veterans at risk for HIV
- Whole health and creative arts therapies
- Substance use and alcohol treatment
- Other prevention, screening, wellness, and testing services
Policies and practices to know
The LGBTQ+ Veteran Care Coordinator can help you initiate care or assist you with navigating any of the following needs:
Visitation: A same-sex partner, family member, friend, or other individual can be present with the patient for emotional support during the course of the patient's stay.
Definition of family: "Family" may include individual(s) not legally related to the individual. Family members include spouses, domestic partners, different-sex and same-sex significant others.
Advance directives: Veterans may designate any person as a decision-maker for care if they won't be able to make these decisions themselves. This includes same-sex partners. Advance directive agents are chosen by the Veteran and do not need to be biologically related.
Documentation in medical records: VA Long Beach maintains the confidentiality of information about sexual orientation, sexual behavior, and gender identity, just like any other private health information.
Changing name or sex in records: Your name in your medical record reflects your legal name. The sex in your medical record should reflect your self-identified gender. You have the right to request that your name and sex are updated as appropriate. You also have the right to add a preferred name for VA employees to use, if you are pending a legal name change. There are established procedures for changing your name, preferred name, and sex with the VA Privacy Officer.