LGBT older adults and service providers that work with this community are invited to an open house this weekend to learn more about a new effort to collect data about the health needs of this population.
Public Health Management Corporation will host an information session from 2-4 p.m. June 18 at the William Way LGBT Community Center, 1315 Spruce St., to share details on the LGBT Older Adult Health Needs Assessment.
The project is funded by a grant from the state Department of Public Health.
“We do a lot of work with HIV prevention, and our team was really interested in looking at the broader health issues within LGBT communities,” said PHMC research associate Heather Batson.
Batson added that the needs assessment is part of efforts to direct more attention to the LGBT older-adult community, following the recent launch of the LGBT Elder Initiative and the proposed low-income senior housing complex at the William Way.
“There’s a lot of energy and interest going on in Philadelphia related to this community right now, so we thought it would be a good idea to try and build on that,” she said. “With the other initiatives happening, we thought this would be a good time to take a look at the health issues this community faces.”
The definition of “health” that researchers are using will be a holistic one and can include such aspects as emotional support or housing needs.
Over the next few months, PHMC will engage community members and service providers through focus groups, interviews and a survey.
The agency has formed an advisory committee of about 25 individuals to guide the project — comprised of members of the 55+ LGBT community, leaders of local LGBT agencies and representatives of mainstream agencies that serve the senior population.
Batson said researchers are still looking for new members, specifically from the LGBT elder population and women who identify as lesbian or bisexual.
In mid-July, researchers will begin conducting focus groups, followed by one-on-one, in-depth interviews. Based on the data collected from these initial research tools, PHMC will create a comprehensive survey to gauge the needs of local LGBT older adults.
The open house this weekend will give the community an overview of this process and allow those interested in participating in the research process to connect with researchers.
“We want people to stop by and talk to us about what we’re doing and learn more,” Batson said, noting that guests can answer a one-question survey that will collect preliminary information about the community’s health concerns.
Batson said researchers want the effort to be citywide — with participation from LGBTs from Southwest to Northeast Philadelphia and everywhere in between — and the open house will also allow organizers and community members to share ideas on how to achieve the widest and most diverse participation.
The entire project is expected to wrap up by the end of the year, and Batson said she expects it to produce valuable information of a rarely studied population.
“We want to get a better sense of what unmet or emerging needs there are in this population of older adults. We want to look at the situation in Philadelphia and figure out recommendations to reduce any disparities and build on the energy and commitment already there to ensure that as this population ages, they have the appropriate services to meet their health needs.”
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].