2020 PA LGBTQ+ Needs Assessment

Almost 1 in 3 LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians report that their healthcare provider is not at all or slightly competent about LGBTQ+ health issues. The truth is the healthcare system simply was not designed to serve our needs as LGBTQ+ people. For too long, we have remained unseen, unheard, and underserved. As a result, a wide range of health disparities--from tobacco use, to diabetes, to cancer--have developed within our community.

It is said that what isn't measured can't be managed. Fortunately for us in the Keystone State, Pennsylvania has become a leader in collecting data to measure health disparities impacting the overall wellness of its LGBTQ+ population. Beginning in 2015 the Pennsylvania Division of Tobacco Prevention and Control (DTPC), through its northeast Regional Primary Contractor, collaborated with Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center to administer its first LGBTQ+ wellness needs assessment. 

LGBTQ+ respondents from across different regions in Pennsylvania shared critical information on personal and community health opportunities. This new data fueled new community-based programs designed to close gaps in service and address the unique health needs of our population.

In 2018, DTPC moved to a state-wide needs assessment. During a 7 week data collection period, more than 20 LGBTQ organizations across the state connected 4,679 LGBTQ+ residents of 64 counties to the survey. The results of the assessment yielded recommendations including encouraging discussions about health screenings, prioritizing chronic disease prevention, identifying community-wide mental health supports, and supporting connections to LGBT-competent healthcare providers.

Beginning March 9, LGBTQ+ organizations across the state will be working to collect data for the 2020 PA LGBTQ+ Needs Assessment. We are excited to see that the coalition supporting this work is growing year by year. Moreover, the network of community-based organizations and government agencies responding to these highlighted needs is growing too.

For the first time this year, there is a Spanish language version of the assessment. Special efforts are being made to encourage participation from underrepresented subpopulations including LGBTQ youth, people of color, members of rural communities, and transgender and gender non-conforming individuals. As we seek to capture a greater diversity of perspectives, we hope to promote a better understanding of the unique experiences of members throughout the LGBTQ+ community and throughout the state.

Every person who partakes in the survey will be helping Pennsylvania's department of health learn more about how to promote the health and wellbeing of LGBTQ+ people. Further, our state will serve as a model, helping other states learn how to comprehensively assess and respond to the unmet needs of their LGBTQ+ communities.

Our community matters and we deserve competent and inclusive services in our area. Please take the time to participate now at http://bit.ly/2020PANA_E. Visit http://bit.ly/2020PANA_S to access the Spanish language version of the survey.