This is the 2012 report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the past year’s departmental activities on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. The HHS Coordinating Committee on LGBT Issues, co-chaired by Assistant Secretary for Health Howard Koh, Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathleen Greenlee, and Deputy General Counsel Kenneth Choe, has continued to lead the Department’s activities. HHS Secretary Sebelius provided the keynote address at the first-ever White House Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Conference on Health in February 2012.
The 2012 report highlights grants made to reduce obesity among lesbian and bisexual women; conduct street outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender homeless youth; prevent suicide and prescription drug misuse and abuse among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender seniors; and improve HIV care for transgender women of color. The report also notes the consolidation of all federal government anti-bullying activities.
The report also notes that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s 2011 National Healthcare Disparities Report included a discussion of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender healthcare disparities for the first time, and that the Health Services and Resources Administration report, Women’s Health USA 2011, included data on the health of lesbian and bisexual women. HHS also anticipates forthcoming reports from the National Institutes of Health (on gaps and opportunities in research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender health), and data from the National Health Interview Survey and the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. Information about same-sex domestic partner coverage is now available on healthcare.gov.
Trainings focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender populations are being developed and implemented by the Health Services and Resources Administration, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Administration for Children and Families, and Administration for Community Living.
Ignatius Bau 