Patient Resources

Patient Self-Advocacy Resources

Self-Advocacy Guide

Guide to Pre-Operative Hair Removal for Gender Affirming Care

LGBTQ+ Resources

LGBTQ+ Know Your Rights Pamphlet

Long COVID Resources

Long COVID Patient Toolkit

Long COVID Clinician Toolkit

What is self advocacy? Make your needs a priority. 1. Knowing your needs Know yourself and what you need so you can communicate this to others. Understand your short and long-term goals and what you will need to meet them. 2. Knowing your rights Know your rights in your community, workplace, or in the healthcare system. These can be your legal rights, right to be treated with respect, rights to information, or decision making rights, etc. 3. Speaking up for yourself Be able to put into words what you need. Use problem solving skills and be assertive when talking about solutions. Be comfortable sharing opinions and point of view with others. 4. Knowing where to get support. Find places you can look to for support. Look for support resources in your family/friends, social programs in your community, or advocacy programs like the Center for Patient Partnerships. 5. Taking action After speaking up for yourself and finding support, identify what is holding you back and work towards overcoming that. Make decisions with enough information to make the best choices for you.