Got Queer Health?

By Josh Boschee
Staff Writer

The irony of Rainbow Health Initiative (RHI) being perhaps the one of the most important health advocacy organizations serving the queer community is the alarming number of people unaware of the health crisis the community is facing. While Minnesota has been named the healthiest state in the union for 14 of the past 15 years, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer community are experiencing significant health disparities compared to the state’s general population. RHI exists to eliminate these disparities.

Most alarmingly, approximately 30 percent of the LGBTQ community lack health insurance compared to eight percent of the general population. Less than 50 percent of all LGBTQ persons are out to their health care provider.  Thirty percent of LGBTQ youth attempt suicide. Violence against the LGBTQ community has risen sharply in the wake of anti-same sex marriage ballot initiatives. HIV/AIDS, STDs, mental health issues, substance abuse, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity/weight issues are all significant health care concerns that disproportionately affect LGBTQ communities. One way Rainbow Health addresses these realities is by encouraging improvements in the healthcare system that make it more open and responsive to LGBTQ communities. “Providing cultural competency training to health care professionals is so important. Most medical students do not get any training in LGBTQ health at all. We need to keep providing them until academic institutions make it mandatory,” states Loretta Worthington, Executive Director of Rainbow Health Initiative.

Founded in 2000, RHI is comprised of community activists, physicians, health advocates and citizen volunteers all dedicated to advancing the health and wellness of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer communities through research, education and advocacy. Over the past five years, Rainbow Health has established itself as an authoritative source of health information on and for LGBTQ communities. Since its inception, RHI has conducted some of the only large-scale health assessments on the health concerns and needs of queer people living in Minnesota. RHI is a recognized and primary source of information for health agencies and community coalitions.

Hoping to serve as a comprehensive clearinghouse of health information on LGBTQ communities in Minnesota, our current goals include developing a health information website that will provide information on health resources for LGBTQ persons, as well as the production of a health provider directory of LGBTQ culturally competent physicians and other health care providers. The directory will identify health providers in major health specialties and subspecialties who are committed to working with LGBTQ persons. RHI also publishes an annual health report on quantitative and qualitative changes in health outcomes for LGBTQ people through our health assessment data collection project.
Rainbow Health continues to seek volunteers for every aspect of its operations from health care professionals, advocates, community organizers, to marketing, communications and development professionals and others. But volunteer resources are only part of the story. The ongoing operations will need to be almost wholly underwritten by government and philanthropic sources. While largely supported by state agencies, foundation, corporate and business givers, it is absolutely essential that visionary leaders in the community come forward—leaders who believe, as RHI does, that our community has the responsibility to take care of each other. Unrestricted financial gifts are the only way RHI can continue to fund cutting edge research and advocacy to achieve our vision of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people who are healthy and vibrant, experiencing culturally appropriate and responsive healthcare and wellness services. To find out how you can help, visit the RHI website at http://www.rainbowhealth.org.

Loretta Worthington, RHI’s Executive Director, is a queer activist with over a decade of experience working to reduce health disparities in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) communities, specializing in the prevention and intervention of substance abuse including tobacco. RHI is the primary sponsor of the Inaugural FM Pride 5K Fun Run/Walk. She can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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