Table 5.
Stakeholder-Identified Gaps in Substance Use Resources for SGM People in Hawai‘i
| Gaps in Service | Stakeholder Comments |
|---|---|
| Gender-Affirming Resources | “Po‘ailani is the only treatment facility that I know of that will house TG [transgender] patients with the appropriate gender.” “I do not know of any Transgender specific inpatient care options at this point. I would like to see spiritual resources that are competent to support this population also.” “Often patients are not accepted for residential SUD treatment as the “gender issue” becomes “insurmountable” and they are denied an opportunity to have this level of intervention.” “Transgender specific meetings. Elder services for seniors unable to get around” |
| SGM-Affirming Resources | “As a lesbian who is in recovery, there’s not a ton of resources/providers identified as being LGBTQ friendly…I went out of State for IP [inpatient] treatment for that reason.” “LGBT in-patient detox/rehab, more variety in groups (i.e. not only 12 step/ non-secular), [LGBT] culturally sensitive family support, a clear list of [LGBT] mental health counselors and physicians” “There are no SGM “clean and sober” or recovery homes, no residential treatment (although Hina Mauka and Salvation Army allow trans folks to identify which side to stay in) and there are no IOP (intensive outpatient) that is specific to SGM” “LGBTQ specific treatments centers and Intensive outpatient programs” |
| Workforce Development | “I see [doctor’s name] and he’s going to retire soon. He’s been a great ally but supportive addiction specialty psychiatrists are few and far between in the state.” “I wish there was more training on how to understand the mindset of substance abuse. As a transgender individual who has not turned to illicit drugs and has had perhaps a mild alcohol addiction at most to which was able to reframe from addictive behavior for 10years.” |
| Data Collection and Utilization | “Data collected on SGM demographics on intake forms, SGM specific services for youth” |
| Organizational Capacity-Building | “SGM training/certification for substance misuse/prevention organizations treating all youth” |
| Neighbor-Island Resources | “Specific individual therapists in [K]ona and [H]ilo to refer SGM folks to” |
Informal feedback from local service providers and SGM clients throughout the state were obtained by the Hawai‘i Department of Health‘s SGM Workgroup through an online, anonymous survey, direct email conversations, and scheduled group meetings with self-selected stakeholders. The authors organized the feedback verbatim into themes. Written comments from stakeholders are presented verbatim with permission. Changes made for grammar or clarity are indicated by brackets.