Declaring March 17 - March 21, 2025 as National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week in the City of Philadelphia.

Declaring March 17 - March 21, 2025 as National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week in the City of Philadelphia. WHEREAS, National LGBTQ Health Awareness Week is an annual event to raise awareness about the health challenges faced by the LGBTQ+ community and advocate for better healthcare access and equity. LGBTQ Health Awareness Week is an opportunity to engage with organizations that conduct crucial health equity work, inform the public about the importance of LGBTQ+ health, and unite providers, LGBTQ+ communities, and allies for the advancement of real solutions that remove barriers and improve health for us all; and WHEREAS, LGBTQ+ individuals are disproportionately impacted by a wide range of health threats when compared with their cisgender or heterosexual peers, which is the direct result of compounded anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination and other systemic barriers to accessing healthcare services across the United States. There is an urgent need for a greater allocation of resources to support healthcare providers nationwide who report feeling unprepared to meet the needs of their LGBTQ+ patients and clients and LGBTQ+ health; and WHEREAS, According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, one third of LGBTQ+ adults (33%) say they were treated unfairly or with disrespect or had at least one negative experience with a health provider, compared to 15% of non-LGBTQ+ adults. Additionally, the Kaiser Family Foundation found that 61% of LGBTQ+ adults reported that a provider assumed something about…