The Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative, based in New York City, hosted a forum on LGBTQ mental health March 23 featuring directors of four leading mental health LGBTQ services organizations in the city, an NYC councilman, and the chair and program staff of the Johnson Family Foundation, which is interested in continuing to fund the initiative's work. This forum was a step toward building connections between YSPH and the NYC LGBTQ community, government, and funders.
Members of the Yale LGBTQ Mental Health Initiative at the discussion included three faculty: its director, John Pachankis, Susan Dwight Bliss Professor of Public Health (Social & Behavioral Sciences); associate research scientist Danielle Chiaramonte; and Skyler Jackson, assistant professor of Public Health (SBS). Other participants included City Council Member Erik Bottcher, who represents the City’s District 3; four community representatives involved in mental health leadership (David Guggenheim of Callen-Lorde Community Health, Asha Alexander of the Hetrick-Martin Institute, Christian Huygen of the Rainbow Heights Club, and Antonio Ruberto of The LGBTQ Center); and three members of the Johnson Family Foundation.
The focus was on building community-research partnerships to support the LGBTQ community in NYC. Specific topics of discussion included: identifying the mental health needs of the local LGBTQ community; sharing examples of successful existing services to support LGBTQ mental health; the role of local policy in LGBTQ mental health; visions for building lasting mental health change for the local LGBTQ community; and the role of community-research partnerships in supporting lasting mental health change for local LGBTQ community mental health.
Published: Tuesday, April 25, 2023
