Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) congratulatedthe National Academies’ Institute of Medicine (IOM) on
its new report, “The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, &
Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better
Understanding.” It's the first substantial federal review
of the health status of LGBT people in the U.S. & a vital
first step toward eliminating LGBT health inequalities.
The IOM & the National Institutes of Health typically
look at existing medical research & identify gaps in
research that need to be filled. In their work to assess the
health of LGBT Americans, the IOM report finds that there
simply isn’t enough basic research to identify gaps. Its first
recommendation, one that Baldwin has long advocated, is
to start collecting data on LGBT Americans in order to begin
identifying & addressing LGBT health disparities. Baldwin
will reintroduce the Ending LGBT Health Disparities Act,
building on the IOM report’s recommendations.
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For years, in Congressional hearings, briefings and meetings, I have asked our national health policy officials and medical experts, ‘What do you know about LGBT health?’ Only to hear, ‘I have to get back to you.’ Today, we’ve gotten a well researched and most welcome response. I am delighted that after years of advocating for more attention to LGBT health disparities, IOM’s report will bring us closer to the goal of promoting good health for all Americans.
ReplyDeleteWe can’t overcome LGBT health disparities until we know what those disparities are and where they exist. Once we have solid data, the proper responses will follow. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and at the Department of Health and Human Services to implement the recommendations of the IOM report.
Congresswoman Baldwin is a member of the House Health Subcommittee & Co-Chair of the LGBT Equality Caucus