The Center to Participate in National LGBT Health Awareness Week

The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada will participate in the annual National LGBT Health Awareness Week by hosting a healthcare organization in its lobby starting on March 22, 2021.

Sponsored by the National Coalition for LGBT Health, the event brings awareness to discrimination and health disparities that affect individuals of every sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and age. This year’s theme, “Out for Equity,” arises from the Coalition’s Inaugural State of LGBTQ Health National Survey™, highlighting the need for ongoing engagement of the LGBTQ+ community on healthcare issues. This theme is intended to motivate our communities to be “OUT for Equity” by advocating for LGBTQ+ health.

The public is welcome to come in and meet with representatives from healthcare organizations who will be at The Center from noon to 1 pm daily. The Center is centrally located at 401 S. Maryland Parkway. Please follow COVID-19 protocols, wear a mask and keep your distance.

Here is the schedule of healthcare service organizations that will be at The Center for National LGBT Awareness Week:

March 22 AID FOR AIDS Nevada (AFAN)
March 23 Community Counseling Center
March 24 Nevada Health Link
March 25 Nevada Health Link

“Like the National Coalition for LGBT Health, we are committed to improving the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals through advocacy, education, and research,” says Jim McCoy, Development Manager for The Center.

People in the LGBTQ community face many challenges when accessing healthcare. It is common for LGBTQ people to be unable to find services in their area, encounter discrimination or refusals of service in healthcare settings, or delay or forego care because of mistreatment concerns. National surveys support these findings. 52% of transgender people said they thought they would be refused medical services because of their LGBTQ status. 56% of lesbian, gay and bisexual people reported they had experienced discrimination from healthcare providers because of their LGBTQ status.

The LGBTQ Center of Southern Nevada hopes to bring change as it plans to add a self-sustaining pharmacy operation to its HIV/STI/STD Testing Clinic and then upgrades the clinic to be a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC).

Issues in healthcare, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, have disproportionately affected LGBTQ people and, in particular, LGBTQ people of color. The Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBTQ individuals and underserved populations in Nevada for more than 25 years. It operates as a neighborhood resource for the valley’s LGBTQ community, area residents, veterans, people with disabilities, and the transient homeless population.

About National Coalition for LGBT Health

The Coalition is committed to improving the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals through federal and local advocacy, education, and research. The Coalition strives to address the entire LGBT community, including individuals of every sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and age regardless of disability, income, education, and geography. The Coalition is an initiative of HealthHIV, a national nonprofit focused on health equity.

About The LGBTQ+ Community Center of Southern Nevada (The Center)

For over 25 years, The Center has cared for, championed, and celebrated LGBTQ+ individuals and underserved populations in Nevada. We function as the heart and home of the LGBTQ+ community by making connections, delivering programs, and providing a safe space for health and wellness, social services, arts and culture, advocacy, and community building. Ongoing Center programs support LGBTQ+ youth, adults, families, seniors, vets, people with disabilities, those living with HIV, and underserved populations. Additionally, we are proud to offer the Center Advocacy Network, the first nationally accredited program of its kind, focusing on LGBTQ issues for victim advocacy. For more information on how The Center empowers everyone to thrive in Nevada, please visit https://www.thecenterlv.org.