Date & Time
Wednesday, February 29 at 3 PM EST/12 Noon PST.
Call Format
Join us for a discussion about plans for the 2012 National LGBT Health Awareness Week, Come Out for Health, March 26-30. Learn how the Coalition and its members across the country are advancing the four core principles of consumer empowerment, culturally-competent services, engaged communities and inclusive policymaking.
The Coalition staff will provide an overview of a congressional briefing scheduled in Washington, DC, and highlight resources available to support efforts across the country.
The call will also include reports about activities planned across the country from –
Januari Leo – Public Affairs Field Specialist, Legacy Community Health Services, Houston, Texas
Chad Putnam – Board President, Rainbow Health Access Initiatives, Inc., Albany, New York
Justin Neisler – GHSU Equality, Georgia Health Sciences University, Augusta, Georgia
If you have any questions, please contact Kaye Gooch at kgooch@lgbthealth.net
Thank you and we hope you can join us!
Conference Dial-in Number: (641) 715-3200
Participant Access Code: 1020707#
On this, the 24th World AIDS Day, governments, communities, and people around the globe are marking the occasion with vigils, speeches, announcements, demonstrations, silent prayer, and even celebrations. Even so, we know that for many in our midst, World AIDS Day doesn’t end at midnight tonight. They/we live with HIV/AIDS. We care for or about someone with HIVAIDS. We grieve every day the loss of a partner, friend, or loved one. Whatever meaning we derive from World AIDS Day, much work lies ahead. While new HIV infections are receding globally, this is not the case for many communities right here in our own zip codes. More new HIV infections, for example, are occurring among young black men who have sex with men than any other age and racial group of MSM. Other minority groups, too, are at a disproportionate risk for HIV infection. With waves of HIV washing over these communities, we applaud the many Coalition members and other organizations that are tirelessly working to stem these tides and we look forward to a post-AIDS world.
On October 11, 2011, the National Coalition for LGBT Health held its inaugural Policy and Advocacy Summit. We are pleased to make available a summary of the Summit panel presentations and related discussions. Thank you to all who contributed their insights and feedback about the Coalition’s current and future policy and advocacy projects. The comments provided at the summit will significantly inform the Coalition’s policy committee planning for 2012 and beyond. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact Senior Policy Associate Joseph Jefferson - jjefferson@lgbthealth.net
Click here to read the summary report.
This report provides an overview of and recommendations for improving the statutory, regulatory, and departmental policy that shapes the lives of LGBT people who receive medical services and benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Reaching All Who Served: an Analysis of Department of Veterans Affairs LGBT Health policies
HHS’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided guidance to state Medicaid agencies clarifying that they are able to offer same-sex couples many of the same financial and asset protections available to opposite-sex couples when a partner is entering a nursing home or care facility. In a letter sent today, CMS advised state agencies of their ability to ensure that same-sex partners can remain in shared homes without Medicaid liens being applied. The guidance also clarifies that states have the flexibility to protect same-sex partners under estate recovery and transfer of assets rules.
View CMS’s letter to State Medicaid Agencies at http://www.cms.gov/SMDL/SMD/list.asp
The feds are rolling out $100M worth of new healthcare reform prevention money that's coming soon to a town near you. But right now is the moment when local LGBT groups need to speak up to make sure the promise of LGBT inclusion in this funding is met. We're pleased to partner with the Network for LGBT Health Equity at Fenway Institute to help give you strategies to approach your local health department right now (since they're planning the work now) and make sure LGBT groups, and LGBT people are in from the get-go! (also, 50% of these funds will be regranted locally... so now's the time to stage your group to be a funded partner.)
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced on May 13 the availability of over $100 million in funding for up to 75 Community Transformation Grants. Created by the Affordable Care Act, these grants are aimed at helping communities implement projects proven to reduce chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. By promoting healthy lifestyles and communities, especially among populations experiencing the greatest burden of chronic disease, these grants will help improve health, reduce health disparities, and lower health care costs.
Same-sex couples live in almost every county across the United States, and more than one million of these couples are raising children. These families need the same protections as any other family to ensure that parents and partners can fulfill their commitment to keeping each other and their children safe and healthy. Check out our new blog post at MomsRising Blog about what the Affordable Care Act means for LGBT people and their families. Then head over to the National Partnership for Women and Families to read more about how paid sick days standards help LGBT families.
So many exciting things have been happening lately that we're working hard just to stay on top of it all! Check out our updated What We're Working On page and our updated Resources page to see what the Department of Health and Human Services released in honor of LGBT Health Awareness Week, read up on the Institute of Medicine's groundbreaking recommendations for LGBT health research, join the National Partnership for Action to Eliminate Health Disparities, or learn more about how to turn Healthy People 2020's new LGBT Health topic area into concrete initiatives in your community. We're also excited about milestones such as our new report with the Center for American Progress about how the Affordable Care Act benefits the LGBT community, the new LGBT-inclusive recommendations for Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators, and coverage of LGBT Health Awareness Week celebrations around the country!
Today is the first day of National LGBT Health Awareness Week! Check out our resources for ideas of how to celebrate LGBT Health Awareness Week in style!
Happy first anniversary of the Affordable Care Act! We can't send cupcakes to everyone, but we can serve up some delicious overviews of how the health care reform law is already making a difference across the country!
Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius shares how the new healthcare law is already making a difference in LGBT people’s lives by helping individuals and families get health care and health insurance, addressing health disparities, and putting our nation on a better path for the future. Check out the 2011 LGBTHealth Awareness Week website for ideas of how to work with Secretary Sebelius, President Obama, the National Coalition, and community partners from around the country to support goals of the Affordable Care Act and help keep our community healthy!
Female cancer patients/survivors or their partners are being recruited for a study being conducted by the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland. Individuals are needed to evaluate a website designed to help cancer patients/survivors and their partners, particularly with issues related to their sexuality and/or fertility. The study takes about one hour to complete and everyone who participates will receive $100. The sessions start on Monday, February 28 and run through Thursday, March 3, between 10:00 am and 6:00 pm. All information will be kept strictly confidential. Complete details are available here User Works.
Celebrate the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. by helping keep affordable and accessible health care within reach of those who need it the most: Call the Capitol Hill Switchboard right now at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Representative. Tell them to VOTE NO on repeal of health care reform!
See the human cost of repeal, including state-by-state fact sheets: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/repealcosts.html
How has the Affordable Care Act changed your life? Do you have health insurance that you couldn't get before? Have you seized new opportunities to bring attention to LGBT health and make our community stronger? Write to Kellan at the Coalition at kbaker@lgbthealth.net and share your story!
Comments on the National Prevention Strategy are due on Tuesday, January 18th! Check out the Coalition's comments, submit your own, and help make the LGBT community a priority in the nation's prevention and wellness efforts!
Check out the draft recommendations
The Coalition's comments are designed so that you can cut and paste into the comment website, or use these comments as a guide for your own. Help make the National Prevention Strategy inclusive of the LGBT community by commenting today!
Don't forget to check out an interview with the chair of the National Prevention Council, Dr. Regina Benjamin.
Today, President Obama signed a law repealing the discriminatory military policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT). This policy was the capstone of half a century of efforts to prevent gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people from serving in the military and the civil service, or even working in companies that had federal contracts. Its repeal is a major step toward ending the stigma and discrimination that color the lives and relationships of gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people in the United States. Click here to see photographer Jeff Sheng's portraits of some of the estimated 71,000 gay men, lesbians, and bisexual people currently serving in the military (estimate from Dr. Gary Gates at the Williams Institute). To read coverage of the signing ceremony from the White House today, please click here. If you don't already believe that health lies behind all policies, check out this article on the health impacts of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Sincere thanks and congratulations to all of the amazing advocates who made DADT repeal a reality this holiday season.
Much work remains to be done to fulfill the promise of equality and justice in America for everyone who lives here and for those whose lives are affected by our economic, political, and military actions around the world. Transgender people are still not allowed to serve in the military. The DREAM Act, which would have provided a path to citizenship for children brought to the U.S. illegally if they attend college or serve in the military, was voted down in the Senate shortly before the passage of DADT repeal. Queers for Economic Justice, a NYC-based organization that works to "challenge and change the systems that create poverty and economic injustice in our communities, and to promote an economic system that embraces sexual and gender diversity," notes that military justice does not automatically equal economic justice:
We hope that you will join the National Coalition for LGBT Health in working to help our country fulfill its promise of life, liberty, health, and the pursuit of happiness for everyone.
A recent study published in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing examined the relationship between family acceptance and the psychosocial and physical health of young LGBT adults, and found that family acceptance was associated with greater self-esteem, social support, health status, and was negatively associated with depression, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation and behaviors.
As part of the Family Acceptance Project, researchers recruited 245 LGBT Latino and non-Latino white adults between the ages of 21 and 25 years, who self-identified as LGBT, homosexual or nonheterosexual during adolescence, and whose sexual orientation was known to at least one parent for the study. They were asked to complete a survey that measured family acceptance, demographic characteristics including sexual identity, childhood religious affiliation, childhood family religiosity, and parents' occupational status, health and youth adjustment (e.g. social support and self-esteem). The study did not find a difference in family acceptance by sexual identity, but did find significant associations between family acceptance and self-esteem (p < 0.001), social support (p < 0.001), general health (p < 0.01), depression (p < 0.001), substance abuse in the past 5 years (p < 0.01), suicidal thoughts (p < 0.05), and attempted suicide (p < 0.01). After controlling for background characteristics, family acceptance remained highly significant for each outcome. Gender was significantly associated with self-esteem, social support, suicidal ideation in the past 6 months, and ever attempting suicide. The researchers noted that individuals who self-identified as "queer," had more than twice the rate of lifetime suicide attempts, but there was no difference in recent suicidal thoughts.
The authors noted that the lack of other racial and ethnic groups and the fact that the study was retrospective were limitations, but felt that in spite of these limitations, their "approach to directly measuring LGBT-specific behaviors that express family and caregiver acceptance during adolescence is an important step toward better understanding LGBT health, and offers the opportunity for focused prevention and intervention with diverse families that have LGBT children."
Citation: Ryan C, Russell S, Huebner D, et al. "Family acceptance in adolescence and the health of LGBT young adults." Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nursing, 23, no. 4. (November 2010): 205-213.
(from the Kaiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org)
On Monday, December 20, the Prevention Institute, PolicyLink, Public Health Institute and Trust for America’s Health will host a webinar on community prevention. Speakers will provide updates on the status of community prevention provisions in the Affordable Care Act; share next steps and actions that communities and advocates can take to further the understanding of politicians, media and the local community about the value of community prevention; and share recent examples of community prevention successes. The webinar will be from 3:00-4:30 PM EST--we hope to see you there! Register here.
The dates of the 2011 National LGBTI Health Summit have been released. Next year's Summit will be held in Bloomington, Indiana from July 16-19, 2011 at the Indiana Memorial Union on the campus of Indiana University. The Coalition is proud to have attended many of the previous Summits, and looks forward to another opportunity for LGBT health allies to come together to learn about and support one another’s work. We hope to see you there! For more information about the Summit, please visit their website.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel recommended that the agency approve Gardasil to prevent anal cancer in both men and women. Gardasil, a vaccine that targets strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) that cause genetal warts and cervical cancer, was originally approved only for girls and younger women. In 2009 the FDA approved it to prevent genital warts in boys and young men, but up until now it has not been approved to prevent anal cancer. This new recommendation will influence if providers offer the vaccine and whether insurance companies will cover it. If the FDA chooses to follow its advisory panel’s recommendations many activists hope that the Centers for Disease Control’s Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will reconsider their previous decision not to recommend Gardasil for boys and young men.
Join us for the launch of Healthy People 2020! On Thursday, December 2 at the Jack Morton Auditorium at The George Washington University, the Department of Health and Human Services will unveil health promotion and disease prevention objectives for the next ten years. Click here to register and learn more about the event. We hope to see you there!
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is now accepting nominations for positions on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. A Federal Register notice will appear next Wednesday, and the docket will be open until November 29th. "The task force members are independent experts who serve for four-year terms, with the opportunity for an extension of up to two years. The decisions that the group makes are intended to be evidence-based recommendations to the public. Some insurance companies base their coverage decisions on the guidance it presents." Keep an eye out for the notice, and don’t forget to make your recommendations!
The Institute of Medicine is seeking comments on the criteria and methods for determining and updating the essential benefits package. Comments can be submitted through this online form and are due December 6, 2010.
The Department of Health and Human Services seeks comments on a draft framework for the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy. Comments can be submitted through this online form and are due December 5, 2010.
A new report from the Williams Institute found that 0% of children of lesbian families report having ever been physically or sexually abused by a parent or other caregiver. This contrasts with 26% of American adolescents who report parent or caregiver physical abuse and 8.3% who report sexual abuse. According to the authors, "the absence of child abuse in lesbian mother families is particularly noteworthy, because victimization of children is pervasive and its consequences can be devastating. To the extent that our findings are replicated by other researchers, these reports from adolescents with lesbian mothers have implications for healthcare professionals, policymakers, social service agencies, and child protection experts who seek family models in which violence does not occur."
To read the full report, click here.
The federal governments health care reform information website recently launched a new page, the Implementation Center. The Center provides materials on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) on both the state and federal level. It also includes all regulations, authorities, reports, and grants under the ACA. Use this interactive guide to track implementation, and comment on the site.
The U.S. Positive Women's Network in partnership with the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and the HIV Law Project's Center for Women and HIV Advocacy are hosting a free teleconference training and discussion on the intersections of gender, race, poverty and HIV.
The teleconference will explore several topics including the relationships between gender, race, poverty and HIV and how an HIV diagnosis affects a woman’s ability to work and earn a living.
November 15th at 12:30pm PT/2:30pm CT/3:30pm ET
RSVP to pwn@womenhiv.org
A new study by Dr. Gary Gates of the Williams Institute at UCLA shows that only 3% of adults identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB), but an additional 6% have had same-sex sexual partners since age 18. Gates, a Williams Institute Distinguished Scholar, found that although 90% of LGB people are out about their identity to other people, only 25% report being out to all of their coworkers in the workplace. To read the full study, click here.
The Center for American Progress (CAP) has released a report on integrating mental health services in primary health care settings. This report is a follow-up to CAP's October 5 presentation titled “Mental Health Care Services in Primary Care: Tackling the Issues in the Context of Health Care Reform.” The integration of mental and primary health services is a major feature of the Affordable Care Act, and funding will be available to support organizations in providing such integrated services. To view the report, please click here.
An Advisory Committee to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a public meeting via teleconference on Thursday, October 21st, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. (EDT). This meeting was originally scheduled for September 23rd but a quorum of the membership was not available to participate. The committee will discuss strategic issues facing CDC, including a policy brief on health equity and social determinants of health; the director’s annual Health Disparity Report; and to brief individuals on the realignment of the CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities. To participate in the teleconference, please dial (877) 394-7734 and enter conference code 9363147. There will be a brief open comment period toward the end of the call.
The Coalition is excited to announce that one of its members, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center, recently received a landmark $13.3 million grant to fund its development of a model program for LGBTQ foster youth. The grant, from the Administration for Children and Families headed by David Hansell, is the largest federal grant ever awarded to an LGBT organization. There is a dire need for a program of this kind; according to a 2001 study, 78% of LGBTQ foster youth were forced to leave their foster placements due to hostility related to their sexual orientation or gender identity. The Center's program will be researched, evaluated, and carefully documented so that it may be replicated across the country. The Coalition is very proud of the Center for this incredible achievement, and commends them on this initiative to protect the health and well-being of LGBT foster youth. This is an excellent first step by the Department of Health and Human Services to address LGBT health disparities, and we hope to see more grants of this kind in the future.
Check out this excellent New York Times article on aging, healthcare, and LGBT people. The article tackles issues such as LGBT elders in the nursing home/at-home care setting and the realities of LGBT chosen families.
The Center for American Progress (CAP) has announced that they will be hosting a special presentation, “Mental Health Care Services in Primary Care: Tackling the Issues in the Context of Health Care Reform.” The presentation will examine the opportunities that health reform provides to better integrate mental health services into primary care in order expand access to services and improve health care inequalities for people with mental health concerns. Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) will be the keynote speaker, and Karen Davenport, Director of Health Policy at CAP, will moderate a panel discussion.
The presentation will take place at Center for American Progress, 1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor, on Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 10:00am. Please RSVP, as space is extremely limited. For more information please call Marlene Cooper Vasilic at 202-682-1611.
Yesterday, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced the transition of the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The transition from center to institute provides NIMHD with a more defined role in NIH’s research agenda on health disparities, and the authority to plan and evaluate all minority health and health disparities research conducted by the NIH. Among the research priorities for the new institute are the social determinants of health and improving the participation of health disparity populations in clinical trials. The Coalition is encouraged by the increased focus on health disparity populations and is looking forward to NIMHD’s upcoming research.
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On Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced that nearly 100 million dollars in grants from the Affordable Care Act’s Prevention and Public Health Fund had been awarded. The grants will support a variety of public health programs, on the state and local level, including tobacco control, obesity prevention, and behavioral health services, all health areas that continue to disproportionately impact the LGBT community. Over 4 million dollars, of the 20 million designated for HIV/AIDS prevention, was awarded to 30 state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities for populations disproportionately affected by HIV and help link HIV-infected persons with appropriate services.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently named Joe Hollendoner, chief program officer at Howard Brown Health Center (a Coalition member), as a recipient of the 2010 Community Health Leaders Award. The award provides funding to support the recipient’s ongoing work and raises visibility around the importance of supporting vulnerable communities. Hollendoner founded the Broadway Youth Center, a Howard Brown program, to support homeless LGBT youth. The program is also the largest provider of HIV testing and counseling for youth in Illinois. The Coalition is proud to congratulate Joe Hollendoner and Howard Brown Health Center on this accomplishment.
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The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) is launching its first Health Reform Advocacy Webinar Series on the provisions and implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The webinars will advise advocates on how health reform will affect vulnerable people. Each webinar will also be recorded and posted online. The schedule of webinars is below.
--October 8, 2010, 2 pm ET. PPACA and Children: register here.
--October 22, 2010, 2 pm ET. PPACA and Reproductive Health: register here.
--November 5, 2010, 2 pm ET. PPACA and Home and Community-Based Care Options: register here.
--November 19, 2010, 2 pm ET. PPACA and Addressing Disparities: register here
A detailed study, the “2010 LGBT Community Center Survey Report,” on LGBT community centers and their infrastructure was recently released. The report, written by Centerlink, a Coalition member, and the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), discusses LGBT community centers' staffs and boards, program priorities, constituencies, infrastructure, fundraising, budgets and technical assistance needs. Often, these centers are the only place where LGBT people can find the health and legal services they need. Despite challenges due to the economic downturn, LGBT community centers continue to serve more than 30,000 people per week.
The Institute of Medicine’s Committee on HIV Screening and Access to Care released a report, HIV Screening and Access to Care: Exploring Barriers and Facilitators to Expanded HIV Testing, which assess the extent to which different policies pose a barrier to expanded HIV testing. The Committee identified barriers to testing that included state legal requirements for HIV testing, public and private health insurance policies, policies inhibiting use of rapid HIV tests, and policies and practices in corrections settings. The report outlines several recommendations to reduce barriers to testing and includes a discussion on the ethics of opt-out HIV testing.
Today, the Kaiser Family Foundation announced the launch of their new healthcare reform site, the Health Reform Source. The site includes explanations of the basics of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), in-depth analysis of policy issues in implementation, and quick and easy access to relevant data, studies and developments. The Coalition is encouraged by the quantity of relevant information and high quality resources that continue to be made available to healthcare consumers.
The Wisconsin Division of Public Health recently launched a website dedicated to increasing knowledge about LGBT health disparities and health resources. The Coalition is pleased to see states create resources for LGBT people, and encourages other public health departments to do the same.
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On September 21st, President Obama will host a healthcare conference call for community and faith leaders and advocates. The conference call will include discussions on several key new benefits of the Affordable Care Act that take effect on September 23rd, as well as updates from Health and Human Services (HHS) officials. This call is an opportunity for members of the LGBT community to engage in a meaningful dialogue on critical healthcare issues. Community leaders will have the opportunity to ask questions of HHS officials, learn about new outreach resources, and share their efforts to bring the benefits of health care reform home to their communities.
This is an open call and does not require an RSVP.
Date: Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Time: 4 PM Eastern, 3 PM Central, 2 PM Mountain, 1 PM Pacific
Dial in information:
For those with internet access, please join the call online at: http://hhs.granicus.com/live
Call in Information
For those without internet access, please dial: 1-888-455-6860 or 1-866-844-9416
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The Coalition is proud to report that on Friday, September 20th, the Health Data Collection Improvement Act (H.R. 6109) was approved by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health. The bill, authored by Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-2nd WI) with the support of the Coalition, aims to address the lack of available data on the health status of LGBT people through data collection done by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The subcommittee’s 12-10 vote to approve the bill marks a critical step in the advancement of this extremely important legislation. Several amendments offered during the session, which would have severely undermined the purpose of the bill, were rejected. From here the bill will advance to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee for further review and a vote, which is expected later this week. The continued positive progress of this bill would not be possible without the tireless work of Representative Baldwin. The Coalition would like to thank Congresswoman Baldwin as well as the bill’s co-sponsors, Representatives Donna Christensen (D-VI), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Health Braintrust, and Representative Frank Pallone (D-6th NJ). The Coalition will continue to update you on the progress of this exciting bill.
Yesterday, the Senate voted to protect the Prevention and Public Health Fund, created through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In the past 24 hours, nearly $50 million of this Fund has been awarded to immediately begin new public health initiatives. $16.8 million was awarded to Public Health Training Centers, which help improve the public health system by enhancing skills of the current and future public health workforce. $31 million went to ten communities in eight states and one state health department under the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) program, which aims to reduce obesity and smoking, increase physical activity and improve nutrition. In taking a stand to protect the Prevention and Public Health Fund, we have already seen the results of this investment and will see many more benefits in the future.
This morning, the Johanns amendment to the Small Business Act was defeated by a vote of 46-52. The amendment's goal was to free small businesses from extraneous tax reporting, but would have used the Prevention and Public Health Fund to offset costs. No Republicans voted against the amendment, and Democratic Senators Bayh, Bennet, Lincoln, Ben Nelson, Pryor, Warner and Webb voted in favor. Thank you for your support in protecting the Fund. While this amendment was defeated, there are sure to be many more attempts in the future to eliminate this source of funding and to minimize the importance of preventive health care. The Coalition looks forward to working with other organizations in the future to protect this fund and the investment in public health and preventive care.
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This afternoon, Representative Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), a consistent Congressional champion of LGBT health, introduced the Health Data Collection Improvement Act (H.R. 6109). The bill, the creation of which was supported by the work of the Coalition, would allow the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to collect voluntary data on sexual orientation and gender identity. The lack of available data on the LGBT community leaves far too many members of our community without access to care and culturally competent providers. Representative Baldwin’s legislation would allow health researchers, LGBT community organizations, and government agencies to better assess the health and wellness issues affecting the LGBT people and families. The legislation parallels the data collection requirements in current law for data on race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status. It builds on Representative Baldwin’s significant contributions to the LGBT community, including her authorship of the Ending LGBT Health Disparities Act (ELHDA). The Coalition is excited about the introduction of this new legislation and commends Representative Baldwin for her continued dedication to improving the health of the LGBT community.
A new issue brief from The Kaiser Family Foundation’s Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured examines the role that community health centers will play in implementing health reform and providing access to care for millions of Americans who will gain insurance coverage under the new law.
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Community Health Centers: Opportunities and Challenges of Health Reform describes the provisions of the new health reform law that affect community health centers, including increased funding designed to expand the number of health centers, health insurance expansions that will significantly reduce the number of health center patients without insurance, and strategies aimed at increasing the primary care workforce. The brief also discusses some of the opportunities and challenges for the health centers, such as the task of recruiting and retaining qualified health professionals, the need to establish networks and referral arrangements and the renewed focus on prevention and public health that has long been at the core of health centers’ work.
The first gender analysis, recommendations and monitoring report of the U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy released today: Monitoring the U.S. National HIV/AIDS Strategy from a Gender Perspective: Analysis and Recommendations for Implementation.
Inspired by community-generated policy recommendations developed by the same groups in 2009, this gender monitoring report card analyzes the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and recommends specific action steps for the Strategy's implementation to secure the needs of women and families affected by HIV.
The Strategy makes incredible strides in identifying the multiple structural and social factors that lead to communities' disparate vulnerabilities to HIV. Yet, the Strategy does not identify women as a priority population or recommend women-specific campaigns and programs despite the disparate impact of the epidemic on women of color and the many people who depend on them.
Find the complete gender audit report card and analysis at:
http://www.womenhiv.org/gender-audit
A new report from the Williams Institute shows 1 in 7 same-sex couples were not identified in the 2010 Census. The report, Same-sex couples in US Census Bureau Data: Who gets counted and why, highlights key findings of a national survey of cohabiting same-sex couples designed to understand if and how they completed their Census 2010 forms and why they chose the options they did to identify their relationship. Analyses also show that 30% of same-sex couples were either married (14%) or in a civil union or registered domestic partnership (15%), but more than 4 in 10 of these couples lived in states that do not recognize their legal status. “Government surveys must improve and adapt to the changing landscape of relationship recognition in this country,” says author and Williams Distinguished Scholar Gary Gates. To read the full press release, click here.
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Today, on World Suicide Prevention Day, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announced the founding membership of the executive committee of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. This new initiative is due in part to the work of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Suicide is the foremost preventable public health tragedy in our nation, and there are high rates of suicide attempts in the LGBT community, particularly among LGBT youth. The Coalition commends SAMHSA, Secretary Gates, and Secretary Sebelius for taking the initiative in preventing this preventable tragedy.
SAVE THE DATE
The National Latino Aids Awareness Day Congressional Briefing - Addressing Health Reform and a National HIV/AIDS Stratey for Latino/Hispanic Communities, is scheduled for Thursday, September 23, 2010, at 10 am - 12 pm, Room 2103 in the Rayburn HOB.
RSVP to Melissa Faith Ramirez, (212) 584-9315, mramirez@latinoaids.org
Fenway Community Health Center in Boston, Massachusetts, a Coalition member, was recently awarded $2 million in funds for patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Fenway is one of four “nodes” that make up the newly created Community Health Applied Research Network (CHARN). While the other grant recipients focus on primary care delivery, Fenway’s research will focus more specifically on research that is relevant to the care and treatment of individuals with HIV/AIDS. The Coalition applauds Fenway Health for their dedication to LGBT-focused research.
An Advisory Committee to the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced a public meeting via teleconference on Thursday, September 23rd, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. (EDT) to discuss strategic issues facing CDC, including a policy brief on health equity and social determinants of health; the director’s annual Health Disparity Report; and to brief individuals on the realignment of the CDC Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities. To participate in the teleconference, please dial (877) 394-7734 and enter conference code 9363147. There will be a brief open comment period toward the end of the call.
In a strong, coordinated effort with multiple partner organizations, the Coalition recently submitted comments regarding the proposed rule on hospital visitation and informed decision-making. In partnership with the Coalition, the New Beginning Initiative (the NBI, of which the Coalition is a member), and the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) in coordination with Health Care for America Now! (HCAN) also submitted comments. To see the NBI sign-on letter, please click here, and please click here for the NWLC/HCAN letter. The Coalition commends all of these organizations for their support of LGBT health equity, and we look forward to working with them in the future. Please stay tuned for more information about the release and implementation of the final hospital visitation regulations.
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The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation recently announced that it will allow people to change the gender on their licenses if they are living full-time in their new gender and it can be verified by a licensed medical or psychological caregiver. Pennsylvania now joins 26 other states and Washington, DC, which have similar policies.
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The Coalition was one of 219 organizations to sign on to a letter written by the Trust for America’s Health opposing the Johanns Amendment. The Amendment would virtually eliminate the Prevention and Public Health Fund created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). You can help protect this groundbreaking investment in public health and the health of the LGBT community by calling your Senator today telling them to vote “no” on the Johanns amendment, or sending a letter to your Senator using the American Public Health Association’s action center.
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Join the Coalition in signing on to the Principles For Quality Prevention in Health Reform, developed by Prevention Institute, PolicyLink, Trust for America's Health, and Public Health Institute. The Principles reflect many of the imporant concepts that have been captured in previous consensus documents: http://bit.ly/preventionprinciples.
Dr. Ron Valdiserri, M.D., M.P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Infectious Diseases, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), posted yesterday on http://blog.aids.gov/ about the first HHS National HIV/AIDS Strategy Implementation Group meeting. The implementation of the strategy will involve solicitation of input from numerous stakeholders and community groups, including LGBT organizations. Keep an eye on the aids.gov blog and on the Coalition's website for more updates.
The Coalition is very excited to participate in a survey of attitudes and behaviors related to HIV vaccine research organized by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The comments will help inform final decision making of NIH, guide NIAID programs related to HIV vaccine research, and may be published in journals that will inform public policy. We look forward to working with NIAID on this important work.
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Two sets of HIV-related grants are now available from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The first opportunity, “Behavioral Mechanisms in Biomedical Strategies to Prevent HIV Infections,” seeks to advance understanding of the complex behavioral and social factors that partially determine the efficacy and effectiveness of new biomedical strategies to curb HIV infections. The second opportunity, “Reinvigorating HIV Prevention for Men who have Sex with Men (MSM),” seeks new HIV prevention interventions, which, if implemented to scale, would help to curb the spread of HIV infection and reduce HIV-associated morbidity and mortality. Award ceilings range from $200,000 to $500,000.
Every Thursday beginning August 19th, the Arizona Department of Health Services/Division of Behavioral Health Services LGBTQ Advisory Committee will offer a series of 20 Webinar Trainings on Behavioral Health Issues in the LGBTQ community. The trainings will be at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Time, and 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Each week will cover a different topic, ranging from LGBTQs in rural communities to the bisexual experience to bullying and educational cost. For the weekly information on dialing in to the trainings, please click here.
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The White House Office of Public Engagement is seeking “real life” examples of individuals benefiting from implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Personal stories, such as people with preexisting conditions now receiving coverage, children benefiting from staying on their parents' plans for additional time, and individuals receiving preventive care for the first time are all excellent. To submit a personal story, please include a summary of the example and detailed information on the individual(s) who experienced the success of the ACA firsthand, including where they are from and contact information. Please send your stories to both Annie Toro (atoro@tfah.org), Director of Government Relations at Trust for America’s Health, and Kellan Baker, Senior Policy Associate at the Coalition (kbaker@lgbthealth.net).
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A new opportunity from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to submit interventions for the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) is now available. SAMHSA is looking for interventions that promote mental health or prevent or treat mental illness, substance use disorders, or co-occurring disorders that will be reviewed and, if deemed acceptable, published on the NREPP website. The submission period begins November 1, 2010 and ends February 1, 2011. For more information on how to submit an intervention for review, please see the posting in the federal register.
The Office of Disability Employment Policy recently announced the availability of approximately $2.3 million to fund up to four cooperative agreements ranging from $500,000 to $625,000 in support of the Add Us In initiative. Add Us In is designed to increase the ability of businesses owned, operated and controlled by African Americans; Asian Americans; Latino or Hispanic Americans; members of federally recognized Tribes and Native Americans; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender individuals; and women to employ adults and youth with disabilities. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on September 01, 2010. For more information, please visit the grant posting.
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced the first opportunity to apply for new funding under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Through the Community Health Center fund, $250 million dollars is now available for the New Access Points opportunity. The New Access Points grant is to “establish health service delivery sites to improve the health of the Nation's underserved communities and vulnerable populations by assuring access to comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services.” This funding could greatly improve the ability of the LGBT community to access quality, culturally competent health care. Applications for funding are due November 17, 2010. For more information on the grant opportunity and how to apply, please see HRSA’s posting.
In response to a notice from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Coalition is compiling a list of recommended preventive services that should be reviewed by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Topics can include primary and secondary preventive care, screenings, counseling and behavioral interventions, and preventive medications. All topics previously reviewed by the USPSTF are available on AHRQ’s website, http://www.preventiveservices.AHRQ.gov. For more information on the information needed to submit a recommendation, please see the Federal Register notice. If you would like the Coalition to include your recommendations in its submission for consideration, please send them with appropriate supporting evidence to Kellan Baker, Senior Policy Associate at the Coalition, at kbaker@lgbthealth.net, by Tuesday, August 24.
Three new funding opportunities have been announced:
The August issue of the American Medical Association Journal of Ethics is titled "Sexual Orientation, Gender Identification, and Patient Care." As the AMA says, “Medicine has made significant but incomplete progress in understanding its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) patients and colleagues... Still, as this month’s authors assert, physicians must develop greater comfort in discussing sexuality and greater competence in caring for members of LGBT communities.” For full PDFs of the articles in the August issue, please click here.
Zuna Institute recently announced the release of the Black Lesbian needs assessment report, "Black Lesbians Matter." Authored by Francine Ramsey, Executive Director of the Zuna Institute; Dr. Marjorie J. Hill, Executive Director of Gay Men's Health Crisis (a Coalition member); and Cassondra Kellam, a PhD student at the CUNY Graduate Center, this report examines the unique experiences, perspectives, and priorities of the Black Lesbian community. Click here for a press release about this vital and timely report, and thanks to our organizational member, the Lesbian Health and Research Center at UCSF, for news of its release.
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Fellowship opportunity focused on Black gay men available from the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors. Please check here for more information.
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From the National Association of Community Health Centers: Mayo Clinic is opening its Center for Social Media, which will train health care organizations on using social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. This new initiative was brought on by the increasing popularity of Web 2.0—it seems everyone is on Facebook these days! According to a Star Tribune article, Mayo Clinic has “embraced social media, which it sees as an extension of old-fashioned word-of-mouth marketing.” This new center will offer consulting and coaching, host conferences, provide speakers, and lead training courses.
Governor Paterson Signs Bills to Promote HIV Testing and Remove Barriers to Needle Exchange and Syringe Access in New York: for more information on these landmark laws, click here.
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Last Call for Ideas to Make Communities Healthier: In anticipation of the 2011 release of the County Health Rankings, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has launched a forum to hear your suggestions on how communities can use the rankings as a catalyst to start, expand, or renew efforts to address the social, economic, environmental, and behavioral factors that affect health. Check it out and post a reminder that LGBT health is a vital part of community well-being in counties across the U.S.!
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Sign on to the Principles For Quality Prevention in Health Reform, developed by Prevention Institute, PolicyLink, Trust for America's Health, and Public Health Institute.
The National Coalition for LGBT Health, in cooperation with the Gay & Lesbian Medical Association, is proud to partner with the Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute’s Presidential Appointments Project to find and assist potential LGBT and allied grant reviewers for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For more information about opportunities to apply to become a grant reviewer for HHS, please check out our new page.
Twenty years ago today, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Check out our page for more on the ADA and the intersection between LGBT equality and rights for people living with disabilities.
New grants from the Office of Minority Health announced - most deadlines are August 2, 2010. These grants are intended to facilitate community linkages and strategies that use scarce resources efficiently across national lines. They are awarded to support community organizations and science-based efforts to eliminate health disparities.
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New grant announcement from the National Institute for Minority Health in support of health disparities research.
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More information from the LA Times and the Wall Street Journal about the new rules under the Affordable Care Act expanding patients' rights to appeal coverage denials by their insurance carriers.
Check out our brand new fact sheets about nine priority areas of LGBT health in the implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
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New rules released today under the Affordable Care Act make it easier for patients to appeal coverage decisions made by their insurance companies.The rules guarantee the right to appeal decisions on two levels – within the insurance company itself and with an external review board. The requirement applies to plans that were created or have made significant changes since March 23, as well as to self-insuring employers who pay employee claims directly. The new rules take effect in many states on September 23rd and will be in effect across the country in July 2011.
A new fact sheet about Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plans (PCIPs), one of the largest and most immediate initiatives under the Affordable Care Act, is now available.