Lesbian Health Initiative of Houston

Last updated
Lesbian Health Initiative of Houston
Founded at Houston, Texas, United States
Type 501(c)(3) organization
Purpose LGBT healthcare
Headquarters Houston, Texas, United States
Region
Houston and Harris County, Texas
Interim executive director
Aurora Harris
Website www.lhihouston.org

The Lesbian Health Initiative of Houston, also known simply as Lesbian Health Initiative or LHI, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Houston, Texas, United States. LHI focuses on advocating for and promoting health and wellness among LGBTQ women and transgender men. It is certified by CenterLink. [1]

Contents

Description and mission

The LHI defines its mission as consisting of access, education, and advocacy. [2] At its headquarters, LHI offers physical and mental health services, civic engagement and medical training programs, and a specialized program for LGBT senior citizens. [1] It also provides outreach to the medical community and runs a regular publication (titled ACCESS) and speaking events. Additionally, LHI partners with several other organizations to advocate for LGBT health, including the Breast Health Collaborative of Texas, Comprehensive Cancer Control Program, Gateway to Care, Harris County Healthcare Alliance, LINCC, National Coalition for LGBT Health, One Voice Texas, and Texas Women's Health Initiative. [3] Other partners include Planned Parenthood and Memorial Hermann–Texas Medical Center. [4]

The center hosts a biannual Health Fair, which provides free medical services to the LGBT community, including mammograms, blood work, flu shots, pap tests, bone density tests, well-woman examinations, and heart screenings. To offer medical services, the LHI partners with Caremark Rx, Legacy Community Health Services, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Montrose Center, The Rose, Baylor St. Luke's Medical Center, and The Texas Heart Institute. [3] [5]

History

LHI was established in 1992 in Houston, Texas, by a group of lesbian women who were working in medical services. By that time, new medical research had revealed lesbians were at higher risk of breast and cervical cancer than their straight counterparts. It became a 501(c)(3) organization in 1994. The same year, LHI created a study called the Houston Area Health Care Needs Assessment for LGBT Women, to assess the issues LHI would address. The study found that 1 in 4 LGBT women had barriers that restricted their access to medical care, ranging from finances to discrimination, and the same number of women were assumed heterosexual by healthcare providers. 25% of these women also reported signs of cancer within the previous year before the study. Additionally, trends indicated high stress, alcohol consumption, and tobacco usage levels among these women, and indicated a desire among the community for better access to adequate healthcare. [3]

LHI's Health Fair began in 1996 and became biannual in 2005. In 2011, LHI established its advocacy and education programs. [3] In 2015 and 2016, LHI partnered with other organizations to fuel an assessment, titled the State of Health in Houston/Harris County, to establish demographic data on the Houston LGBT community's health and wellbeing. The study affirmed the 1994 study's data: demographic data indicated that about half of the Texas LGBT population was uninsured, encountered barriers to adequate healthcare, and had higher rates and risk of homelessness and tobacco usage. Additionally, it addressed the large data gap surrounding the LGBT community's welfare and the negative consequences it had on public health and the economy. In response to the study, the Texas Department of State Health Services adapted its BRFSS to include an LGBT module in 2015. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthcare in Canada</span>

Healthcare in Canada is delivered through the provincial and territorial systems of publicly funded health care, informally called Medicare. It is guided by the provisions of the Canada Health Act of 1984, and is universal. The 2002 Royal Commission, known as the Romanow Report, revealed that Canadians consider universal access to publicly funded health services as a "fundamental value that ensures national health care insurance for everyone wherever they live in the country."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MD Anderson Cancer Center</span> Hospital in Texas, United States of America

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is a comprehensive cancer center in Houston, Texas. It is the largest cancer center in the world and one of the original three NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the country. It is both a degree-granting academic institution and a cancer treatment and research center located within Texas Medical Center (TMC), Houston, the largest medical center and life sciences destination in the world. MD Anderson Cancer Center has consistently ranked #1 among the best hospitals for cancer care and research in the U.S. and worldwide, and it has held the #1 position 20 times in the last 23 years in U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals rankings for cancer care. As of 2023, MD Anderson Cancer Center is home to the highest number of cancer clinical trials in the world and has received more NCI-funded projects than any other U.S. institute. In 2024, Newsweek placed MD Anderson at #1 in their annual list of the World's Best Specialized Hospitals in oncology.

Health equity arises from access to the social determinants of health, specifically from wealth, power and prestige. Individuals who have consistently been deprived of these three determinants are significantly disadvantaged from health inequities, and face worse health outcomes than those who are able to access certain resources. It is not equity to simply provide every individual with the same resources; that would be equality. In order to achieve health equity, resources must be allocated based on an individual need-based principle.

AIDS service organizations are community-based organizations that provide support for people affected by HIV/AIDS. This article focuses on HIV/AIDS service organizations in the United States only. However, it is important to note that similar organizations in other countries, such as Canada, also played significant roles during the HIV/AIDS crisis and share many common experiences and challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women who have sex with women</span> Sexual identity-neutral term

Women who have sex with women (WSW) are women who engage in sexual activities with women, whether they identify as straight, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, have other sexualities, or dispense with sexual identification altogether. The term WSW is often used in medical literature to describe such women as a group for clinical study, without needing to consider sexual self-identity.

Howard Brown Health is a nonprofit LGBTQ healthcare and social services provider that was founded in 1974. It is based in Chicago and was named after Howard Junior Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT retirement issues in the United States</span>

Many retirement issues for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBTQ) and intersex people are unique from their non-LGBTI counterparts and these populations often have to take extra steps addressing their employment, health, legal and housing concerns to ensure their needs are met. Throughout the United States, "2 million people age 50 and older identify as LGBT, and that number is expected to double by 2030", estimated in a study done by the Institute for Multigenerational Health at the University of Washington. In 1969, the Stonewall Riots marked the start of the modern gay rights movement and increasingly LGBTQ+ people have become more visible and accepted into mainstream cultures. LGBTQ+ elders and retirees are still considered a newer phenomenon creating challenges and opportunities as a range of aging issues are becoming more understood as those who live open lives redefine commonly held beliefs and as retirees newly come out of the closet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National LGBT Cancer Network</span> Organization supporting LGBT cancer victims

The National LGBT Cancer Network is a nonprofit organization launched in September 2007. It is one of the first programs in the United States that addresses the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBTQ) cancer survivors and those at risk and the only one founded and directed by members of the LGBT community. The Network was founded by Liz Margolies, LCSW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Health Initiatives</span> Faith-based hospital network in the United States

Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) was a national Catholic healthcare system, with headquarters in Englewood, Colorado. CHI was a nonprofit, faith-based health system formed, in 1996, through the consolidation of three Catholic health systems. It was one of the United States' largest healthcare systems. In February 2019, CHI merged with Dignity Health, forming CommonSpirit Health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT people in prison</span> Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people in prison

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people face difficulties in prison such as increased vulnerability to sexual assault, other kinds of violence, and trouble accessing necessary medical care. While much of the available data on LGBTQ inmates comes from the United States, Amnesty International maintains records of known incidents internationally in which LGBTQ prisoners and those perceived to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender have suffered torture, ill-treatment and violence at the hands of fellow inmates as well as prison officials.

Various issues in medicine relate to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. According to the US Gay and Lesbian Medical Association (GLMA), besides HIV/AIDS, issues related to LGBT health include breast and cervical cancer, hepatitis, mental health, substance use disorders, alcohol use, tobacco use, depression, access to care for transgender persons, issues surrounding marriage and family recognition, conversion therapy, refusal clause legislation, and laws that are intended to "immunize health care professionals from liability for discriminating against persons of whom they disapprove."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mautner Project</span>

The Mautner Project is a national organization in the United States focused on improving the health of lesbians and other women who partner with women (WPW). It was founded in 1990 and is based in Washington, D.C. The organization provides direct services, engages in community outreach and health education campaigns, trains health care professionals to deliver culturally competent care, and raises awareness of lesbian and WPW health issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fenway Health</span>

Fenway Health is an LGBT health care, research and advocacy organization founded by Northeastern University students and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

The Academic Model Providing Access to Healthcare (AMPATH) is an academic medical partnership between leading North American academic health centers, primarily led by the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis, Indiana, and the Moi University School of Medicine based in Eldoret, Kenya. It is the first integrated healthcare model to be established in Africa, encompassing both medical treatment and pharmaceutical provisions. The program aims to deliver comprehensive HIV care services and is guided by a three-fold mission: providing care, conducting research, and offering training opportunities. Currently, AMPATH serves a population of 3.5 million individuals, operating over 60 clinics in urban and rural areas of Western Kenya.

This article summarizes healthcare in Texas. In 2022, the United Healthcare Foundation ranked Texas as the 38th healthiest state in the United States. Obesity, excessive drinking, maternal mortality, infant mortality, vaccinations, mental health, and limited access to healthcare are among the major public health issues facing Texas.

The United States Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has an LGBTQ+ Program through the Office of Patient Care Services. The “+” sign captures identities beyond LGBTQ, including but not limited to questioning, pansexual, asexual, agender, gender diverse, nonbinary, gender-neutral, and other identities. VHA began collecting data on veteran’s sexual orientation and gender identity in 2022 to inform policy and improve clinical care. There are estimated to be more than one million LGBTQ+ Americans who are military veterans. If LGBTQ+ veterans use VHA at the same rate as non-LGBTQ+ veterans, there could be more than 250,000 LGBTQ+ veterans served by VHA. Using diagnostic codes in medical record data, Blosnich and colleagues found that the prevalence of transgender veterans in VHA (22.9/100,000) is five times higher than reported prevalence of transgender-related diagnoses in the general population (4.3/100,000). Brown and Jones identified 5,135 transgender veterans receiving care in VHA using a broader set of diagnostic codes. Brown also notes that this methodology fails to identify transgender veterans who have not disclosed their gender identity to providers, those who don’t meet criteria for a diagnosis, or veterans who get their transition-related care outside of the VHA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montrose Center</span> LGBT health organization in Houston, Texas

The Montrose Center is an LGBTQ community center located in Houston, Texas, in the United States. The organization provides an array of programs and services for the LGBTQ community, including mental and behavioral health, anti-violence services, support groups, specialized services for youth, seniors, and those living with HIV, community meeting space, and it now operates the nation's largest LGBTQ-affirming, affordable, senior living center in the nation, the Law Harrington Senior Living Center. It is a member of the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. It is in Neartown (Montrose).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence in same-sex relationships</span>

Domestic violence in same-sex relationships or intragender violence is a pattern of violence or abuse that occurs within same-sex relationships. Domestic violence is an issue that affects people of any sexuality, but there are issues that affect victims of same-sex domestic violence specifically. These issues include homophobia, internalized homophobia, HIV and AIDS stigma, STD risk and other health issues, lack of legal support, and the violence they face being considered less serious than heterosexual domestic violence. Moreover, the issue of domestic violence in same-sex relationships has not been studied as comprehensively as domestic violence in heterosexual relationships. However, there are legal changes being made to help victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships, as well as organizations that cater specifically to victims of domestic violence in same-sex relationships.

Gerodiversity is the multicultural approach to issues of aging. This approach provides a theoretical foundation for the medical and psychological treatment of older adults within an ecological context that includes their cultural identity and heritage, social environment, community, family system, and significant relationships. Gerodiversity encompasses a social justice framework, which considers the social and historical dynamics of privilege and inequality. In addition to issues of aging, gerodiversity includes race, ethnicity, language, gender identity, socioeconomic status, physical ability or disability, sexual orientation, level of education, country of origin, location of residence, and religion or spirituality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT health in South Korea</span>

The health access and health vulnerabilities experienced by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual (LGBTQIA) community in South Korea are influenced by the state's continuous failure to pass anti-discrimination laws that prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The construction and reinforcement of the South Korean national subject, "kungmin," and the basis of Confucianism and Christian churches perpetuates heteronormativity, homophobia, discrimination, and harassment towards the LGBTQI community. The minority stress model can be used to explain the consequences of daily social stressors, like prejudice and discrimination, that sexual minorities face that result in a hostile social environment. Exposure to a hostile environment can lead to health disparities within the LGBTQI community, like higher rates of depression, suicide, suicide ideation, and health risk behavior. Korean public opinion and acceptance of the LGBTQI community have improved over the past two decades, but change has been slow, considering the increased opposition from Christian activist groups. In South Korea, obstacles to LGBTQI healthcare are characterized by discrimination, a lack of medical professionals and medical facilities trained to care for LGBTQI individuals, a lack of legal protection and regulation from governmental entities, and the lack of medical care coverage to provide for the health care needs of LGBTQI individuals. The presence of Korean LGBTQI organizations is a response to the lack of access to healthcare and human rights protection in South Korea. It is also important to note that research that focuses on Korean LGBTQI health access and vulnerabilities is limited in quantity and quality as pushback from the public and government continues.

References

  1. 1 2 "Lesbian Health Initiative (LHI)". CenterLink. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  2. "Lesbian Health Initiative of Houston, Inc. | TEXAS HEALTH CARE GUIDE". texashealthcareguide.org. Retrieved 2017-06-08.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Lesbian Health Initiative Of Houston, Inc". Volunteer Houston. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  4. "Lesbian Health Initiative of Houston, Inc. (LHI)". GivePulse. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  5. "Lesbian Health Initiative of Houston hosts Fall Health Fair". Dallas Voice. Dallas Voice. October 26, 2011. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  6. Baker, Kellan; Hughes, Margaret (March 29, 2016). "Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Data Collection in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System". Center for American Progress. Center for American Progress. Retrieved June 28, 2016.