Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation, Inc.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals continue to face significant barriers to health care because of discrimination, insufficient health care services, lack of health insurance, and a shortage of trained and competent providers.

Furthermore, New York’s LGBT residents are vastly underrepresented in health and human service surveys, limiting the implementation of appropriate resources and policies to improve the health of this population. Few health and human service agencies in New York State have compiled and analyzed the information necessary for quality treatment of LGBT individuals. To narrow gaps in knowledge and reduce health disparities, NYHealth awarded Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation (Pride Agenda) a grant to conduct a comprehensive statewide assessment of LGBT health needs.

Under this grant, Pride Agenda partnered with Syracuse University to conduct a health needs assessment survey of at least 3,500 LGBT individuals across the State through an anonymous online questionnaire on topics such as behavioral health, violence, risk behaviors, health care utilization, and access to health insurance coverage. Over the course of the grant, however, it was determined that the fielding of the survey did not adhere to NYHealth parameters. As a result, the grant was terminated. NYHealth originally slated a total $200,000 for this project, disbursing $160,000 in funds to Pride Agenda at the start of the project. Upon cancellation of the grant, the $40,000 in remaining grant funds was not disbursed to the organization.