In order to bridge the gap in knowledge about COVID-19 health experiences for LGBTQ people, five federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) that specialize in reducing barriers to care for LGBTQ populations—along with The PRIDE Study, the first large-scale, long-term national health study of LGBTQ+ people—created a research collaborative called "The We Count Collaborative: Impacts of COVID-19 on LGBTQ Health," according to a press release
The We Count Collaborative consists of five FQHCs: Whitman-Walker Institute, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, CrescentCare, Howard Brown Health and the Los Angeles LGBT Center; as well as the Stanford Medicine-based The PRIDE Study with a collaborating site at the University of California, San Francisco.
"We need high quality and inclusive data collection to understand the full impact of the pandemic on LGBTQ people and to ensure that the care we provide is tailored to meet the community's needs," said Howard Brown Health Director of Advocacy and Policy Tim Wang. "This data does not just inform our approach to providing COVID-specific health services. Sexual health, intimate partner violence, HIV prevention, and mental wellness are just a few areas of concern for Howard Brown's patients that have been impacted by COVID-19. We look forward to the collaboration with the We Count Collaborative to ensure that the LGBTQ community's needs are met as we continue to fight the pandemic."
Updates on the research and findings of The We Count Collaborative are available at whitmanwalkerimpact.org/wecount .
