Commentary: An open letter to Governor-Elect Dr. Amy Acton on addressing LGBTQ+ health disparities

Originally published by The Buckeye Flame, this commentary is republished by The Advocate.

An Open Letter to Governor-Elect Dr. Amy Acton:

Congratulations on your election as Ohio’s next governor. Your background as a physician and your service as director of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) demonstrate a longstanding commitment to improving the health of Ohioans. We believe that experience provides a strong foundation for your administration, and we strongly encourage you to ensure that your gubernatorial transition team includes LGBTQ+ health and civil-rights experts and people living with HIV.

Here are some areas of LGBTQ+ health and wellness that will need your attention.

Ending the HIV Epidemic in Ohio: The HIV epidemic in Ohio requires sustained attention and investment. Approximately 28,500 Ohioans are living with HIV, and thousands more are at risk of acquiring HIV. While prevention efforts have helped reduce new infections, significant gaps remain in testing, prevention and treatment. In 2022, only 67.5% of Ohioans diagnosed with HIV were virally suppressed, and an estimated 14.8% of people living with HIV were unaware of their status.

These gaps – particularly given their disproportionate impact on communities of color – represent both a public health challenge and an immense opportunity for our state’s leadership. Expanded access to HIV testing, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), harm reduction frameworks and supportive services can prevent new infections and help people living with HIV lead long, healthy lives. Community health centers are critical to this work. They provide accessible, community-based services and reach people who may otherwise face significant barriers to care. As such, we strongly encourage you to prioritize securing transition-team members to help ensure that ODH is well equipped to address this public health challenge.

Addressing Ohio’s LGBTQ+ Health Disparities: LGBTQ+ Ohioans face persistent and, in some cases, increasing barriers to good health and well-being. Discrimination, stigma, unaffordability and a lack of compassionate healthcare providers can discourage people from accessing the care they need and deserve. Research shows that 6 in 10 LGBTQ+ adults report feeling they must prepare for insults from healthcare providers or staff. LGBTQ+ people also experience disproportionate rates of housing instability, economic insecurity, intimate partner violence, health disparities like cancer and mental health challenges. These disparities are interconnected and require thoughtful and coordinated policy responses.

Ohio deserves leaders who understand these challenges and recognize the importance of protecting the rights and dignity of LGBTQ+ people. That understanding must extend beyond the perspectives of policymakers and include the voices of those directly affected by these decisions. Given the continued challenges to addressing LGBTQ+ health disparities and the need to protect the health and well-being of Ohio’s LGBTQ+ community, we strongly recommend that you prioritize securing transition team members who can address the needs of our community both in terms of health disparities and civil rights protections.

A Call for Meaningful Representation on the Transition Team: LGBTQ+ Ohioans and people living with HIV should not simply be the subjects of policy discussions; instead, they should have a meaningful role in shaping the policies that affect their lives. We strongly encourage you to include policy and public health experts who have this lived experience. Ohioans deserve a transition team that has meaningful representation from people living with HIV, LGBTQ+ public policy leaders and others who can ensure that ODH and other executive branch agencies are equipped to tackle the serious challenges that lie ahead – ending the HIV epidemic in Ohio, addressing our state’s LGBTQ+ health disparities, and more. The appointment of such leaders to your transition team will help ensure that your administration’s approach is informed by evidence, grounded in community experience, and responsive to the needs of Ohioans.

Ohio has an opportunity to build a healthier, more equitable future. We hope your transition team will seize that opportunity and ensure that people living with HIV and LGBTQ+ Ohioans have a seat at the table from the very beginning. We look forward to working with your administration to advance the health, safety and well-being of all Ohioans.

Sincerely,
David Ernesto Munar (he/him)
President and CEO Equitas Health

The Buckeye Flame is a newsroom dedicated to amplifying the voices of LGBTQ+ Ohioans to support community and civic empowerment through the creation of engaging content that chronicles their triumphs, struggles and lived experiences.

Opinion is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit Advocate.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists, and editors, and do not directly represent the views of The Advocate or our parent company, equalpride.