Atlanta, GA. July 15, 2019 - Latinos in the South, a regional program of the Latino Commission on AIDS, will release a preliminary report Southern Latinx LGBTQ+ Regional Health Assessment. The community assessment, which began in 2018 and ended this year, included the voices of over 200 participants living in the South. Participants were asked about the realities and challenges for the Latinx LGBTQ+ community in receiving effective healthcare, as well the hope for community development opportunities. The preliminary analysis of quantitative data illuminated gaps in culturally responsive services; lack of accessibility to basic mental and physical healthcare; and discrimination from healthcare providers. While studies have been carried out around the Latinx population in the South, few have focused directly on LGBTQ+ Latinx individuals.
"With the rapid growth of both the Latino community and LGBTQ throughout the US, particularly in the Southern Region, it is urgent to understand the health needs of this important segment of the population," said Judith Montenegro, Director of Latinos in the South Program. "Conducting an LGBTQ Latinx community assessment was crucial to gaining insight into the current state of health and to formulate a clear path for the well-being for this population."
The Latino Commission on AIDS has committed to support the expansion of healthcare access to all in the South for over a decade. Guillermo Chacon, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS stated, "In 2006, the Latino Commission on AIDS began working in the South to support community leadership, develop organizational capacity of community stakeholders. Our priority is to enhance the visibility of social issues affecting Hispanic/Latinx, and mobilize communities to engage in health advocacy and public health work that operates with the Southern region's social realities."
"With this groundbreaking assessment, we hope to contribute to the crafting of a road-map address the specific issues impacting Latinx LGBTQ+ communities in the Southern region of the US." State Joaquin Carcaño, project coordinator of the regional assessment and staff member of Latinos in the South Program
The release of the preliminary report coincides with the Latinos in the South's regional Conference "Encuentro," which will take place in Atlanta, Georgia from July 17 through July 19 at the W Hotel in Buckhead, Atlanta, GA.
To access the preliminary report, please visit: http://bit.ly/LatinxLGBTQHealth
Latinos in the South is a regional program of the Latino Commission on AIDS that aims to build local leadership, develop networks and coalitions, enhance knowledge and cultural competency, and spur actions to address the health needs of the emerging Hispanic/Latinx communities in Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. The program accomplishes these goals through capacity building, community organizing, leadership development, and networking initiatives, with a focus on community-based participatory research and information dissemination. For more information, please visit www.latinodeepsouth.org