Project Summary
The Partnership Team, composed of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community members, health science researchers, and healthcare providers, proposes to create the New Mexico LGBT Health Improvement Network to bring diverse community members into meaningful clinical discussions with healthcare providers to identify service delivery needs and develop patient-centered questions to increase cultural competence and guide patient- and practice-based intervention research to decrease gaps in New Mexico's healthcare system.
During Tier I, the team will tap into and strengthen existing community and provider partnerships; recruit new patient and provider research collaborators in four New Mexico communities, in particular those residing in rural areas, or areas with high racial and ethnic minority populations; and identify members of a community/clinician advisory council. Toward the end of Tier I, the team will host a summit that will bring together 100 LGBT community members, allies, and interested primary care providers for a day-long event.
A national-level speaker will provide an overview of LGBT health opportunities and challenges and instigate initial questions. The remainder of the meeting will involve facilitated breakout sessions to encourage small-group discussion and brainstorming to identify active areas of healthcare concerns. These discussions will act as a catalyst for Tier II activities, as well as provide a basis for additional discussions about research questions and ongoing research relevant to the patients and communities.