The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is continuing its consistent outreach to the LGBT community.
As part of its celebration of LGBT Pride Month, HHS held a community meeting for LGBT stakeholder organizations, including the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce® (NGLCC), to discuss important LGBT health issues.
"This was an informative and productive meeting with HHS and other LGBT stakeholders, and we look forward to being actively involved in further discussions with the agency about issues important to the LGBT community," said Kate Karasmeighan, NGLCC's chief of staff and director of affiliate relations, who represented the NGLCC at the meeting.
"The HHS has enormous influence in the health care community because it oversees two multi-billion-dollar programs, Medicare and Medicaid. When it speaks about health care, equality and inclusion, health care providers listen," said Karasmeighan.
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius attended the meeting, along with assistant secretary for aging, Kathy Greenlee, assistant secretary for health, Howard Koh, and principal deputy assistant secretary for children and families, David Hansell.
The discussions included topics such as the Healthy People 2020 initiative—which established science-based, 10-year national objectives for promoting health and disease prevention—adoption issues, and the Presidential Memorandum on hospital visitation and medical decision-making the department recently implemented.
The memorandum directed Sebelius to issue rules prohibiting hospitals that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding from discriminating against LGBT patients and families in setting visitation and medical-decision-making policies.
Other LGBT stakeholders in attendance included Human Rights Campaign, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; the National Coalition for LGBT Health; the Center for American Progress; Services and Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Elders; and the National Black Justice Coalition, among others.
