According to John Cain, PA-C, Pride Month means “acceptance, equality, love = love, and increased awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQIA community.”
John (he, him, his) is from Buckhorn, Kentucky. He attended Centre College in Danville, KY, where he majored in Biology and graduated in 2000. After having completed graduate studies in public health, John spent nearly a decade working in population health. He was the Regional Epidemiologist for an eight county district in Appalachia, Kentucky, overseeing the reportable disease registry. A large part of his time was spent investigating cases of Hepatitis B and C, which were on the rise due to opioid misuse. John’s role was to ensure that each chronic case got connected to follow up care, which was challenging as many patients were uninsured, low-income, and lacked basic needs. His overall desire to improve access to care for these marginalized populations inspired him to become a PA. He went on to attend the University of Kentucky PA Studies program and graduated in 2009.
We asked John, a Gay Cisgender Male, to share information on a health issue that the LBGTQIA community is facing:
Identified as a health disparity population, LGBTQIA individuals generally access healthcare less. When a LGBTQIA person belongs to another marginalized group, such as being a person of color, it can be more difficult to find accessible, unprejudiced care from a provider knowledgeable of LGBT health issues. The care gap surrounding access also widens if providers do not cover preventive health services like Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is safe and effective for significantly reducing the risk of HIV infection in sexually active individuals including men who have sex with men (MSM) and people who inject drugs (PWID). The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has given (PrEP) Grade A status. There are tools and resources available to support PAs interested in becoming or registering as a PrEP providers in North Carolina at www.pleaseprepme.org/northcarolina or the North Carolina HIV Education and Training Center.
John is currently the Vice President of NCAPA, having previously served as the Secretary and Regional Chapters Committee Chair. He believes it is important for every PA to be a member, as “NCAPA is the primary guardian of the PA profession in North Carolina.” He hopes that through the dedication of NCAPA and committed volunteers, PA practice in North Carolina will continue to be “team-based, patient-centered care in which the PA practices at the top of his or her license with minimal administrative burden.” John also served as the Piedmont Association of PAs (PAPA) President from 2017-2021. In 2017, in honor of the 50th Anniversary of the PA profession, John launched PAPA Fights Hunger, an annual community service initiative to address food insecurity in the Piedmont Triad. To date, PAPA Fights Hunger has provided nearly 50,000 meals to those in need.
John specializes in endocrinology, particularly diabetes care, for which he is “passionate about connecting patients to right technology to ease the burden of living with diabetes.” He lives in Winston-Salem, traveling to Kentucky frequently to be with his partner, Hack Hudson, who is the District Literacy Specialist for Breathitt County Schools in Jackson, Kentucky, and President-Elect of the Kentucky Association of Pep Organization Sponsors (KAPOS). He is also a member of Buckhorn Lake Area Presbyterian Church, located in Buckhorn, Kentucky.
