What's the landscape like for LGBTQ+ affirming health care in Erie?

A panel discussion in the Admiral Room at Blasco Library on Wednesday aimed to answer that question.

The event was free and provided by UPMC Safe Harbor Behavioral Health, the LGBT Funds of the Erie Community Foundation, Mercyhurst University and the Hamot Health Foundation.

Panelists including doctors, psychologists, former professors and counselors aimed to point out the strengths and weaknesses in access locally to high quality healthcare services, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

Speakers shared their thoughts on the most pressing health risks, including not having access to enough competent and knowledgeable providers, not trusting providers with their true identities, and the bleak suicide stats among youth in the LGBT space.

Will Koehler, PhD, co owner of Journey to a Trauma Informed Life said even though rainbow flags flying show that the Erie community is friendly, it doesn't always mean people feel safe or affirmed. "LGBTQ people experience a lot more barriers to access healthcare that is specific to their needs than the general population, because it's really difficult to know if you're entering a provider's office, that it is a safe place to share who you really are," Koehler said.

According to Susannah Weis Frigon, VP of Philanthropic Services at the Erie Community Foundation, that's where the LGBT Funds of the Erie Community Foundation come in, to fill the gaps.  "What we hope happens here is that we foster a common understanding of what the issues are that are faced by folks trying to access high quality health care in our region and ultimately we can be part of crafting that solution by providing funding to those projects," Weis Frigon said.

Teachers or health care providers who attended the event were eligible for continuing education credit.