Since the release of the MPOWERED: Best and Promising Practices for LGBT Tobacco Prevention and Control document last month, the Network has disseminated over 500 hard copies to folks from across the country. As mentioned before MPOWERED is a unique document that adds scientific rigor to a year plus long compilation of community practices to create a broad base of LGBT best practices in tobacco control. We are so pleased with the reception it has received thus far and continue to promote it widely. If you would like to automatically download a copy click here. In addition to the report, the Network released a new document this month titled Sexual/Gender Minorities and Tobacco Use Disorder: Implications for Medical Homes. This was a collaborative project with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, written by Joseph Lee MPH, CPH with the Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Click here to download a copy.
Keeping up with some of the great media that took place last month, Scout was interviewed for an article that was placed in Desert Outlook this month. Click here to read the full article, Smoke and Mirrors: A look at smoking and its impact shows highest rate among LGBT people. Additionally, Gustavo was featured in Bay Windows after receiving the Trailblazers Award given by LEGACY which was also featured in Legacy’s e-NEWS. In addition, Nicole Sutton, a member of the Network Steering Committee was also featured in Legacy’s e-NEWS as the recipient of their Champion Award.
As part of our ongoing effort to get HHS to include LGBT in the official legal expansion of the definition of disparity populations, we worked with Center for American Progress and others to help coordinate a long-awaited meeting with the HHS decisionmaker on this subject, Dr. John Ruffin. The meeting occurred in late August. Dr. Lisa Bowleg attended on behalf of the Network. There was no clear commitment from the meeting but we carried the message strongly that inclusion in this expanded definition is one of the single highest impact decisions HHS can do to level the playing field for LGBT health disparities.
Scout was invited to present at the National Center for Health Statistics conference this month. He presented on the leading prospects for gender identity data measures. Currently HHS is still formulating their plan for how gender identity data collection will be accomplished.
Scout also attended the last convening of the TAPP-INTO project in Minnesota. This is the end of a five year supplemental technical assistance contract the Network has had with a team of state-level disparity networks in Minnesota. We are working on releasing more products summarizing the lessons learned from that effort.
In closing, although the Summit is behind us we are still reaping the benefits of some of our blogging scholars who continue to post about things they learned at the Summit. Click here to view the past and present blogs posts from this year’s Summit.
LGBT HealthLink, The Network for Health Equity 