HHS has taken many steps to strengthen the health resources available to LGBTQ+ Americans. The following are some of those steps and how they have impacted the LGBTQ+ community.
Cultural Competency
Agencies across HHS are working with health care providers, grantees, employees and others to improve cultural competency with respect to LGBTQ+ populations.
Cultural Competency Training & Curricula*
- HHS encourages its employees to participate in LGBTQI+ cultural competency trainings. The sessions increase awareness and educate employees on sexual orientation and gender identity, and update employees about current sexual orientation and gender identity anti-discrimination requirements.
- The National LGBTQIA+ Health Education Center offers a range of educational programs on various topics designed to meet the different learning styles, needs, and time constraints of their audiences. Their programs follow the principles of adult learning and recognize that adults are self-directed, goal-oriented learners who need to see the relevance of the educational material as well as being able to apply it to their everyday practice. A number of the educational programs offer Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Continuing Education Units (CEU).
- The Nurses Health Education About LGBTQ Elders (HEALE) curriculum for nurses focuses on teaching cultural competency in the care of LGBTQI+ older adults. The curriculum was developed by Howard Brown Health Center of Chicago entitled “Health Education about Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders” was presented to health care providers and published in the Journal of Nursing Management. The HEAL Curriculum is funded through a HRSA grant. The curriculum is availae the curriculum.ble to a variety of healthcare and educational settings for nursing staff and students, as well as any other disciplines who would like to us
Cultural Competency Resources
National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care (National CLAS Standards)
The Office of Minority Health (OMH), in collaboration with federal and non-federal partners, published LGBTQI+-inclusive enhanced National CLAS Standards. The National CLAS Standards are a blueprint for health and human services organizations to provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services and promote a more inclusive definition of culture encompassing not only race, ethnicity, and language, but also elements such as sexual orientation and gender identity. OMH is working with health care organizations to ensure that awareness, adoption, and implementation of the National CLAS Standards incorporate this more inclusive definition of culture in order to better serve the LGBTQI+ community.
Read more about Think Cultural Health.
Recommendations on Providing Quality Family Planning Services
In collaboration with The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Division of Reproductive Health, the Office of Population Affairs has developed and released clinical recommendations, “Providing Quality Family Planning Services.” This document includes evidence-based and evidence-informed recommendations for providing family planning, reproductive, and related preventive health services to all individuals. This document addresses the importance of providing respectful reproductive health care to all individuals, and specifically addresses reproductive health care for LGBTQI+ individuals. These recommendations will help health care providers deliver culturally competent and patient-centered family planning and related preventive care specific to LGBTQI+ individuals.
Read the 2017 updated recommendations.
Support for LGBTQI+ Residents of Long Term Care Facilities
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living (ACL) increases awareness of the issues faced by LGBTQI+ individuals living in long term care (LTC) facilities. The National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging is the country's first and only technical assistance resource center aimed at improving the quality of services and supports offered to older LGBT adults.
Publications
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Information & Resource Kit, a publication for health care providers and prevention specialists about health experiences of LGBT populations.
Anti-Bullying Efforts
StopBullying.gov includes resources and assistance for LGBTQI+ youth, including examples of community groups that offer support and options to seek counseling.
National HIV/AIDS Strategy
The National HIV/AIDS Strategy, a rigorous effort to increase access to care and lower the number of new HIV cases in the United States. These funds are helping states and communities in their HIV prevention efforts among high-risk populations. The funds are also helping fill critical gaps in data, knowledge, and understanding of the epidemic.
Aging Services
HHS funded the Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) to establish the first national resource center for older LGBTQI+ individuals. This center supports country individuals who are 60 and older across the country. This center provides information, assistance and resources at the state and community levels.
Resettlement of LGBTQI+ Refugees
HHS is committed to supporting the safe resettlement of LGBTQI+ refugees who have faced persecution and discrimination in their home countries.
Tobacco Control
To address higher smoking rates among LGBTQ+ individuals, the This Free Life campaign emphasizes the need for more research, and calls for the development of evidence-based, population-specific treatments and interventions.
CDC’s Tips from Former Smokers national tobacco education campaign included specific messaging and outreach to the LGBTQI+ community.
*Note: This list includes non-federal resources in order to provide a wider scope of information. The views and content in these resources have not been formally approved by the HHS or HRSA. Listing these resources is not an endorsement by HHS or HRSA.
