FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – December 2, 2010
For more information:
Kellan Baker, Senior Policy Associate
National Coalition for LGBT Health
(202) 558-6828 | kbaker@lgbthealth.net
National Coalition for LGBT Health Applauds Launch of Healthy People 2020
Washington, DC – It is with great excitement that the National Coalition for LGBT Health (“the Coalition”) welcomes the release today of Healthy People 2020, the federal blueprint for building a healthier nation between 2010 and 2020. The Coalition is particularly excited that Healthy People 2020 will include not only numerous objectives important for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community throughout many topic areas, but also an entire topic area devoted specifically to LGBT health.
The Coalition was founded ten years ago by advocates working to achieve LGBT inclusion in Healthy People 2010. In 2000, our work bore fruit in the development of the Healthy People 2010 Companion Document for LGBT Health and several dozen objectives recognizing the disproportionate impact of conditions such as HIV/AIDS and tobacco use on the health of the LGBT community. During his plenary speech at the Coalition’s recent annual meeting, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health Dr. Howard Koh recognized this history by personally inviting the Coalition’s members to celebrate the launch of Healthy People 2020 and to take a leading role in supporting objectives important to the health not only of LGBT people but of our families, friends, and the larger communities in which we live and work.
“The Coalition is thrilled that Healthy People 2020 includes many new and updated topic areas in fields such as LGBT health, the social determinants of health, and access to health services. Healthy People 2020 is a centerpiece of the Coalition’s efforts to spur a national dialogue about health, wellness, and prevention for communities impacted by health disparities, particularly the LGBT community,” said Hutson W. Inniss, Interim Executive Director of the Coalition.
Healthy People 2020 represents a significant advance in several aspects over previous versions. Most notably, the target areas and objectives will now be available in an interactive online format, and the entire document will be constantly updated to reflect progress made toward the objectives by participating communities, providers, and public health advocates from around the country.
“The Coalition applauds the work of its founders, members, and partners, including the Department of Health and Human Services, in fostering the development of such a promising framework for initiating a broader conversation about the health of everyone in America, including LGBT people,” continued Mr. Inniss. “We look forward to helping to make the promise of Healthy People 2020 a reality over the next ten years.” The Healthy People 2020 target areas and objectives can be found at www.healthypeople.gov.
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