(Washington, DC) On Thursday, May 5, 2016 from 3:00pm to 5:00pm EDT, Indian Health Service (IHS) will hold a teleconference call to seek broad input on efforts to advance and promote the health needs of the American Indian and Alaska Native Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Two-Spirit communities. This is the first of a series of public teleconferences that will take place in 2016.
Join the meeting by calling the toll free phone number at 800-857-9744, followed by the participant passcode number, 3618057#. Participants are asked to call at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting.
Participants will be asked to comment on several key areas of the health needs of the Two-Spirit community, including but not limited to the following questions:
- Are there gaps or disparities in existing IHS services offered to Two-Spirit persons?
- Are there effective models and best practices surrounding the health care of the Two-Spirit community that should be considered for replication?
- What are the specific measures that could be used to track progress in improving the health of Two-Spirit persons?
- How can IHS better engage with stakeholders around the implementation of improvements?
- What additional information should IHS consider while developing plans to improve health care for the Two-Spirit community?
Themes from previous discussions included service and eligibility; clinical services; behavioral health; suicide; youth services; confidentiality and organization strategies.
For more information contact the Public Affairs Staff at Indian Health Service at (301) 443-3593 or [email protected]