Health at Every Size® Healthcare Provider Listing

I integrate HAES® principles into my practice by acknowledging that most of my patients have received fatphobic OR thincentric care at some point. Both are different sides of the same coin and equally harmful. Patients that don’t meet societal norms with slender and thin bodies have often received subpar healthcare due to weight stigma and been denied medications, physical therapies or referrals unless they just “lost weight” or had all of their symptoms blamed on weight without further inspection. On the other hand, many naturally thin patients are assumed to be healthy without thorough exam and conversation. This results in poorer outcomes for both. Although, patients with higher BMIs are harmed more by fatphobia in medicine through neglect. My Feminism informs my counseling at the bedside, my approach to HAES® and my navigation of patient concerns during visits. This means that consent and meeting patient goals should be involved at every step of the conversation. My trauma informed approach and awareness of the inherent power imbalance for all clinician-patient communications also informs my approach. Making all weights optional, and offering them at the end of a visit after patient needs have been met is one example of centering the patient and upending the power dynamic, so weights actually feel optional to the patient. When it comes to dietary counseling in the healthcare environment, patient symptoms- not weight, are the focus.