Admiral Rachel Levine Visits Affirmations to Discuss LGBTQ+ Health Issues
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Oct. 2, 2024)
Ferndale, MI – Admiral Rachel Levine is the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, not only overseeing federal programs but advocating for health equity and the needs of diverse communities. Levine is also the first openly transgender four-star officer in U.S. history, and holds the distinction of being the first transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate. Previously she was the Pennsylvania Physician General, leading through the pandemic before being tapped by President Joe Biden’s administration to take her wisdom and passion national.
And on Sept. 26 she took the time to stop in to Affirmations Community Center for a chat about her work, and the most prominent health issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community. The visit was possible as she was visiting a Pfizer manufacturing facility in Rochester that has agreed to ramp up production of doxycycline which is used to tread Syphilis.
Syphilis is one of several health challenges that the nation is facing. HIV/AIDS continues to claim lives, and STD rates in general are on the rise.
Levine, who was a pediatrician, told the audience “I started my residency at Mt Sinai Hospital in New York City in 1983, at the very beginning of the HIV crisis. We saw babies with HIV, teenagers with HIV and AIDS, and all these people passed away.”
Now there are treatments, but the key is letting people know to get tested, to get treated, and to be safe.
M-Pox is also a growing concern. There is a vaccine to protect people from it, but it requires two injections so it can be hard to vaccinate, particularly in communities that struggle with access to medical care.
On top of the possibility for disease, people are increasingly worried about mental healthcare and even physical safety, especially within the LGBTQ+ community. Discrimination can impact people’s access to healthcare, particularly to gender affirming care. Substance use, including drugs and cigarettes, are higher among communities that face barriers to healthcare and more stressful lives. Issues like family rejection, challenges finding employment, discrimination and harassment, housing access, and even the banter of social media where hate and judgment flourish can all impact one’s mental and physical health.
“We live in challenging times, particularly for our transgender youth,” Admiral Levine said. “I have been around the country and I’ve seen how difficult it is for our community to feel safe.” She added that the fears are “not just in the form of harassment and discrimination, but in violence and murder.”
There is even a growing population of “medical refugees” – people who have to move or travel to other states in order to get the healthcare they need. Women struggle to find doctors, especially for reproductive health needs. And access to gender-affirming care also varies by state. Michigan is one example where people from other states are moving in because women have the right to make choices about their bodies that they don’t in other states.
“We have seen women in America who have died because they couldn’t access medical care for ectopic pregnancies,” Levine said. People who can travel to other states may do so, but “What if someone can’t get from the Dakotas to Michigan,” she said.
Yet there are always advancements for the LGBTQ+ community, including Levine’s appointment to a high level, highly visible office, which helps pave the way for others to be respected for their knowledge and skills rather than rejected for how they dress or who they love.
“I’m a positive and optimistic person,” she said. “I think things will get better.”
The Admiral shared progress made in the Biden administration, including executive orders that shore up Department of Education Title 9 protections requiring equality for students, steps towards addressing and ending the HIV epidemic, reforms to health insurance requirements, and an area that doesn’t necessarily get much attention, but is incredibly important – data.
She explained that oftentimes people are hesitant to share their LGBTQ+ status with medical professionals. However an increasing number of doctors, service organizations, and agencies are asking people if they are part of this community. It isn’t for tracking of individuals, and it should not put patients at risk. But what it does is help to study the overall needs of the community, and to see which communities are most impacted by specific issues. Data helps experts to target their efforts, and is a driving force in decisions about funding. Having data means knowing how to target funding to have the biggest impact.
“We absolutely need data,” she said. “Money follows data.” Across the federal government there is now a requirement to collect and consider data on specific populations, including the LGBTQ+ community, to help with inclusion and effectiveness.
Following the visit to Rochester and Ferndale, Levine headed off to Flint where all of those challenges she discussed have been exasperated by economic challenges and by the water crisis which introduced toxic lead into the community. Yet as the work continues of raising awareness and finding solutions, Admiral Levine and others working in public health stay strong and committed. Visiting LGBTQ+ centers around the country helps motivate her on this journey.
“When I see our LGBTQ+ community, what I see is hope. I also see bravery in each one of your faces. I see strength and love in our community because clearly we are stronger together.”
Affirmations is Michigan’s largest LGBTQ+ community center, offering a number of resources to help. Learn more at https://goaffirmations.org/.
Learn more about Admiral Levine and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health at http://www.hhs.gov/about/leadership/rachel-levine.html
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