NNLM Grant Will Lead to More Inclusive Substance Abuse Treatment & Recovery Options in Eastern Pennsylvania
ALLENTOWN, PA — Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center today announced that it has been awarded a grant from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. The grant will lead to training for six substance abuse treatment and recovery providers in Eastern Pennsylvania to help their staff understand the specific experiences and barriers to care that cause LGBT healthcare consumers to fear or avoid treatment. Providers will also learn how to access LGBT health resources available to them at no cost through MedLine Plus.
“The National Network of Libraries of Medicine- Middle Atlantic Region is pleased to provide the funding and information resources to support this project. Our mission is to ensure that health professionals and the public have equal access to health information and this is what Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is doing by providing training on addiction related care for the LGBT community.”
According to the 2018 Pennsylvania LGBT Health Needs Assessment, four in ten LGBT Pennsylvanians report binge drinking in the past year with close to one in ten reporting binge drinking on a daily or weekly basis. More than one in twenty LGBT Pennsylvanians reported usage of opioids. What’s more, 56% of LGB Pennsylvanians and 75% of Transgender Pennsylvanians report that they fear a negative reaction from a healthcare provider is they come out to them.
Atticus Ranck, Health Programs & Supportive Services Manager at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, lives in recovery and is passionate about improving access to treatment and recovery services for the LGBT patient population. He commented, “We know that the LGBT community experiences higher rates of substance use and abuse, and too often when community members seek care, they are not afforded culturally-affirming and inclusive care. There is a knowledge gap among many well-intentioned substance abuse treatment providers and with this project we will work in partnership with them to improve the quality of care that their LGBT patients deserve.”
“It is a true honor for our organization to be able to work on a project funded by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center is proud to be a leader in LGBT health promotion and with this grant, our work will continue for the betterment of health services for the LGBT community.” said Adrian Shanker, Executive Director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center.
Developed resources reported in this press release are supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement number UG4LM012342 with the University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
About Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center:
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center provides arts, health, youth, and pride programs to strengthen and support the LGBT community across the Greater Lehigh Valley.
Information Provided By:
Adrian Shanker
Executive Director
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center
