by David Wick, M.A., LCPC
Director of the Office of Lesbian and Gay Health, Chicago Department of Public Health
On Dec. 20, 1999, the Chicago Department of Public Health opened the Office of Lesbian and Gay Health. Since then, I have begun to meet with providers, community members, CDPH staff and researchers. Two questions consistently emerge during my initial contacts: Why do we need an initiative like this? What will this office provide to people associated with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered ( LGBT ) communities?
Why an LGBT health initiative. The diverse people who comprise our LGBT communities exist in a time of tremendous change. Over the past 20 years, many members of these communities have experienced a dramatic improvement in their personal, social and political circumstances. This has not, however, been an experience shared by all. It might be surprising to find that the suicides among younger gay males now occur at such high rates that they resemble what we found in the 1970s. A review of the status of LGBT youth, as shown by a variety of recent studies, helps to place these suicides rates into context. Large numbers of LGBT youth continue to be verbally and physically abused in their schools and communities, abandoned or emotionally neglected by their families, and ignored by most support systems. Studies also show that serious conditions, including depression, anxiety, extreme self-esteem/self-image problems, and drug and alcohol and cigarette use, occur early and in unique patterns with significant consequences to LGBT youths.
As a group, we carry the widespread experience of ridicule, rejection or worse into adulthood. The process of repairing ourselves can be, for many, extremely difficult. Healing is complicated by a hostile or unresponsive society, our own self-doubts and the frequent presence of high-risk behaviors. Many of us are likely to comfort ourselves by minimizing these problems. We tend to focus on our gains in social stability and personal security instead. This may help to reduce the chronic stress and depression levels which have been associated with growing up and living as an LGBT person in a non-LGBT society. However, it is important to remind ourselves of these disturbing health and welfare realities. We must begin to recognize the many lives and deaths that are represented when we see one homeless young person, emotionally recall the deaths of Matthew Shepard and Berretta Williams, or recognize a friend's debilitating overuse of drugs and alcohol.
Within this context, LGBT's also faced the real barriers to effective healthcare and wellness programs. Research into our health needs and our experience with healthcare delivery continues to emerge. We know that significant portions of the LGBT communities are under-served by healthcare. The specific nature of obstacles to comprehensive healthcare for LGBT community members is slowly being clarified. Research has revealed, for instance, that health providers exhibit significant levels of bias, discomfort and lack of medical training regarding LGBT patients.
What the office will do. In creating the Office of Lesbian and Gay Health, the CDPH has acknowledged that important work needs to be done in three core public health areas: assessing the health and healthcare status of the LGBT communities, developing politics to address these findings, and implementing programs that enhance access to effective healthcare citywide.
Clearly, these activities are integral to the Department's mission, "To assure conditions in which Chicago residents can be physically and mentally healthy, with an emphasis on the promotion of health and prevention of illness through the provision of effective accessible health services and efficient utilization of resources throughout Chicago."
Initial activities will include setting up an Advisory Committee, which will function to represent community concerns, facilitate assessment activities, aid in determining policies and serve as a resource for community initiatives. Following preliminary assessment activities, staff will develop a Lesbian Gay Healthcare Effectiveness Training Program. This program will be developed for use within the CDPH, then refined for use in the larger healthcare community.
As the LGBT communities continue to find ways to accomplish both healing and empowerment, the Office of Lesbian and Gay Health looks forward to moving LGBT health and wellness concerns further into the forefront of the public health arena.
