Council: County’s top health
officer addresses SP LGBT health clinic
May 22, 2015
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
The county’s top health officer appeared before the City Council Monday to address a new clinic specializing in care for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.
It was a conversation, according to Mayor John Procter, that the council should not even have.
Councilman Jim Tovias had made the request that the council be updated on the clinic, now open for months, at a previous meeting.
Dr. Robert Levin, Ventura County’s Public Health Officer who also works on occasion at the Santa Paula Clinic on West Harvard Boulevard, said, “The city of Santa Paula has become host to a new and farsighted,” facility serving the LGBT community.
A transgender person whether male or female “Feels like they grew up in the wrong body…no amount of wishing can change that.”
Many grow up being called “tomboys or sissies and many work alongside you,” without the knowledge they are transgender.
Santa Paula is just one of such “highly specialized clinics” in Ventura County: Oxnard is host to the tuberculosis clinic, there is a facility for orthopedic trauma in Simi Valley, Camarillo has a clinic for the morbidly obese and Ventura has the county’s HIV/AIDS clinic.
Although there has been “prejudice” against the LGBT community and neglect of their healthcare needs, Levin said “Santa Paula is known as a city where although people are not welcome elsewhere they can come here and be accepted…”
Overall, 3.8 percent of the nation is LGBT, and Levin said it is estimated there are 527 bisexual, 569 lesbian/gays and 95 transgender citizens living in Santa Paula.
“That’s enough to keep one and a half to two doctors fully employed,” although Levin said the surveyed statistics could be double as not all replied to the survey that garnered the numbers.
According to a Gallup poll, Latinos, he noted, are 25 percent more likely to identify themselves as LGBT, or “Perhaps they are just 25 percent more honest…”
The clinic is open a half-day a week and “There have been no episodes whatsoever,” that involve disruptions, something that Levin said most people would not expect anyway.
He noted his own relationships to members of the LGBT community and said, “They are our family and friends and we owe it to them to love and accept them…”
Vice Mayor Martin Hernandez said the clinic is “A model that is rarely duplicated in the state…we are on the cutting edge again. We’re very fortunate for that…in my eyes anyone that lives and breathes air deserves the same services.”
Councilwoman Ginger Gherardi said she and others did not expect there would be problems associated with such a clinic but Tovias said he was “concerned about the location,” near the county’s pediatric clinic.
The clinic said Levin is at the backside of the strip mall where the county has its pediatric clinic.
“I have no problem with lesbians and gays,” or transgender people and although Tovias did not mind services for local residents, Tovias questioned treating people from outside Santa Paula as well as providing a service “that other cities shy away from…it would be nice if the county did something nice for us; we’re always giving and never get anything in return.”
The clinic is operated under a contract with a private provider and clinic Director Lisa Solinas, MD told the council that there is a separate entrance for the LGBT facility which treats people that come from as far as Santa Barbara.
“Beyond that there is no reason to assume that the LGBT community,” is more prone to be pedophiles than the general population.
“It is the law of the land that LGBT people can adopt children, there is no concern for the safety of our children,” said Levin.
Adelina Lopez, clinic RN and a Santa Paula resident, told the council “The only other thing I want to add is regarding the pediatric concern…our youngest clinic patient is 9 years old,” who receives hormone treatment not available elsewhere.
“LGBT is not contagious, it’s just another service provided,” of specialized medicine and Lopez said Santa Paula residents are “excited” about receiving care in their hometown.
“We shouldn’t even be having this conversation,” Mayor John Procter said following the discussion.
