In cooperation with Patients R Waiting and Dr. Sharee Livingston, OBGYN, Lancaster LGBTQ+ Coalition’s Queer Health Advocacy Alliance unites healthcare providers across disciplines who advocate for and are knowledgeable about the health and wellness needs of the LGBTQ+ community. With a founding membership consisting of Dr. Sharee Livingston and Karen Foley, MA, LPC, our goal is to create an intricate network of advanced providers for comprehensive coordination of care for the LGBTQ+ community.
Seeking healthcare as a Queer individual is often a daunting task, particularly in Central Pennsylvania. Finding affirming practitioners who are knowledgable about the intricacies of Queer healthcare can feel impossible, especially if one doesn’t know where to start, and LGBTQ+ communities have historically not been counted in large data systems.
According to data we collected in the PA 2020 LGBTQ+ Health Needs Assessment, more than 1 in 3 respondents do not believe their healthcare providers have the medical expertise related to their health needs as a Queer individual, and 4 in 10 experience at least one barrier to healthcare. This limits the access to health and wellness resources of a population which already experiences increased rates of health challenges as a result of social, environmental, cultural, and institutional factors.
The Queer Health Advocacy Alliance will join forces to remove barriers, activate research, and ensure fully culturally humble healthcare for all intersections by:
- Identifying, connecting, and training a network of providers that are proficient in all intersections of the LGBTQ+ community of Central Pennsylvania
- Breaking down barriers to access for patients and communication between hospitals and providers
- Providing scholarships to interns seeking to specialize in LGBTQ+ Healthcare (with a focus on funding multilingual and BIPOC interns)
- Identifying and conducting necessary research for LGBTQ+ health needs