FEATURE
It Takes A Village: The Public Health Dayton & Montgomery County LGBTQ Health Initiatives This health alliance in southwestern Ohio is paving the way for more comprehensive and culturally competent healthcare targeted towards the LGBTQ+ community. This included identifying LGBTQ+ people and organizations (like local LGBTQ+ service organizations and nightclubs), allies and people from other communities (such as representation from the Muslim community). According to Jerry, the group is “truly an impressive cross-section of people and organizations.” Each action team has a specific focus, and is tasked with engaging the community to address issues. The LGBTQ Health Initiatives Alliance currently is made up of six teams: • Aging • Youth • Cultural competence • Transgender issues • Mental health, substance abuse and violence • Outreach and awareness
Health Alliance LGBT Aging Conference planning committee.
By Kaylee Duff In April 2018, Public Health Dayton & Montgomery County (PHDMC) started the LGBTQ Health Initiatives Program in response to the staggering health disparities in the community. Their motivations were the LGBTQ community’s tortured healthcare history, the minority stress model approach that explains minority health disparities, such as higher risks of some cancers and diabetes in lesbians, higher risks of HIV and other STDs in gay men and queer folks of color, and higher rates of smoking, substance abuse/addiction and suicide. The overall goal is to help improve the health of LGBTQ people across their lifespan — whether it’s LGBTQ parents with a newborn or an older adult needing home care. Today, the LGBTQ Health Initiatives effort is led by Jerry Mallicoat and a coalition of six action teams known as the LGBTQ Health Alliance. Jerry has been involved with the LGBTQ+ community around the area for several years, and relied on his experience with major healthcare organizations and a network of community activists and colleagues to select the people and organizations serving with the Health Alliance. “We wanted people who could influence their organizations and who also have personal credibility and influence as individuals in the community,” Jerry explained. “We also wanted to ensure that we took a multicultural and intersectional approach to building the Alliance as well.” 20 | OCTOBER 2018
D’On Ingram, Health Alliance member and HIV specialist, with Jerry Mallicoat at Dayton Pride.
The action items were determined through a prioritization survey taken by Alliance members towards the beginning stages of the initiative. Members ranked items in order of importance, and were given the opportunity to make suggestions and offer additional information. They were then sorted into teams based on their ranked priorities. Two items (LGBTQ equity in childhood adoption processes and prevalence of tobacco use) were deferred; PHDMC is working on customizing existing smoking cessation programs and finding local partners to address adoption issues in the near future. Some of the action teams already have big plans in the works — and the other teams aren’t far behind. TRUE Q MAGAZINE
