LGBTQIA+ Recovery Support Group is now meeting on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of every month from 5 to 6 PM at UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor, 1330 W. 26th St. Erie, PA 16508. Their mission is to provide a supportive and empowering space for LGBTQIA+ individuals who are dealing with substance use disorders. They strive to create an inclusive, strengths-based community where participants can find understanding, acceptance, and inspiration to overcome any challenges they may be facing. Through support, education, and resources, they aim to foster personal growth, resilience, and long-term recovery. For more information about the LGBTQIA+ Recovery Support Group, please call 814-451-2246. This project is funded, in part, by the Erie County Opioid Settlement Funds.

Recovery is Community NWPA wants to hear about what community members think should be done locally to improve treatment for drugs and alcohol use. The UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care will be hosting listening sessions where individuals who identify LGBTQIA+, a person of color, and/or loved ones of someone who uses drugs can share their experiences, thoughts, and ideas about using drugs/alcohol, seeking treatment, and recovery.

UPMC will present "Just Talk About It" Advance Care Planning Forum - Supporting the LGBTQIA+ Community on Thursday, May 11. There is an 11 AM and also a 4 PM session. The in-person sessions will be at UPNC Health Plan Neighborhood Center, 6401 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh PA, 15206. Both session offer a virtual participation option. A panel discussion will include experts from faith-based, legal, clinical, psycho-social, and community perspectives.

Because healthcare workers can't be everywhere when a problem arises, people learn CPR, First Aid, and how to make a 911 call to reduce physical injury until help arrives. In much the same way, suicide prevention resources, virtual trainings, and the new 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline all give people the skills necessary to assist a person in a mental health crisis.

UPMC is offering a training virtual training program funded by the PA Department of Health's Preventative Health and Health Services Block Grant. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found suicide to be the second leading cause of death among young people with LGBTQ youth being four times more likely to seriously consider suicide, and to attempt suicide verse their peers. The Trevor Project estimates that at least one LGBT youth between the ages of 13 - 24 attempts suicide every 45 seconds in the United States.

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 31, 2020 - Across UPMC, 26 facilities have been recognized for LGBTQ care policies and practices by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation, the education arm of the country's largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people. Of these hospitals, 10 have been designated as "Leaders in LGBTQ Healthcare Equality," and 16 have been recognized as "Top Performers."

The four-week smoking cessation class offers individuals a step-by-step plan for quitting smoking. The goal is to make quitting a less stressful experience and help smokers learn better ways to cope with situations that ordinarily trigger ... lighting up. Classes will be held Tuesdays, Nov. 5 to 26 from 6 to 7 p.m. They are Free! and the location is Sterling Square, 3330 Peach St., Entrance C, Lower Level, Erie, PA 16508. Registration is required. To register or for more information, call 814-877-2981.