BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 673 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 12, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH William W. Monning, Chair AB 673 (John A. Pérez and Lara) - As Introduced: February 17, 2011 SUBJECT : Office of Multicultural Health: LGBT communities. SUMMARY : Requires the Office of Multicultural Health (OMH), to perform various duties on behalf of the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) with respect to the state's lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities. Specifically, this bill : 1)Requires OMH to do all of the following on behalf of DPH and DHCS: a) Perform strategic planning within these departments to develop department-wide plans for implementation of goals and objectives to close the gaps in health status and access to care among the state's LGBT communities; b) Coordinate pilot projects and planning projects funded by the state that are related to improving the effectiveness of services to the LGBT communities; c) Communicate and disseminate information and perform a liaison function within the departments and to providers of health, social, educational, and support services to the LGBT communities. Requires OMH to consult regularly with representatives from the LGBT communities, including health providers, advocates, and consumers; d) Serve as a resource for ensuring that programs keep data and information regarding statistics and information based on sexual orientation and gender identity; and, e) Prepare and submit a biennial report to the Legislature on the status of the above activities. EXISTING LAW establishes OMH within DPH to perform various duties on behalf of DPH and DHCS relating to the state's racial and ethnic communities. AB 673 Page 2 FISCAL EFFECT : This bill has not yet been heard by a fiscal committee. COMMENTS : 1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL . According to the author, this bill integrates health issues affecting the LGBT communities as part of the mission of OMH. The author maintains that expanding the mission of OMH to include issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity will help the state develop and implement more inclusive public health policies that benefit all California's diverse populations. The author also maintains that this bill additionally provides OMH with the authority to seek funding for health initiatives that target LGBT communities. 2)OMH . OMH was created in August 1993 by Executive Order W-58-93 and in 1999 was established in statute in AB 1107 (Cedillo), Chapter 146, Statutes of 1999. OMH is a shared policy office within the Director's Office of DPH and DHCS and serves as an advisor to both departments and a liaison between DPH, DHCS, and outside stakeholders. OMH also has a 25-member Multicultural Health Advisory Council that advises DPH and DHCS on multicultural health issues. The mission of OMH is to increase the capacity of DPH and DHCS programs, health care providers, and ethnic/racial communities to reduce gaps and improve the provision of and access to health care among California's diverse population groups. 3)HEALTH DISPARITIES AND LGBT COMMUNITIES . LGBT individuals encompass all races and ethnicities, religions, and social classes. Sexual orientation and gender identity questions are not asked on most national or state surveys, making it difficult to estimate the number of LGBT individuals and their health needs. A recently released Institute of Medicine (IOM) report entitled, The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding, concluded that in order to advance understanding of the health needs of all LGBT individuals, researchers need more data about the demographics of these populations, improved methods for collecting and analyzing data, and an increased participation of sexual and gender minorities in research. The IOM report further states that building a more solid evidence base for LGBT health concerns will not only benefit LGBT individuals, but also add to the AB 673 Page 3 repository of health information that pertains to all people. According to the Center for American Progress (CAP), the LGBT population continues to experience worse health outcomes than their heterosexual counterparts. Due to factors like low rates of health insurance coverage, high rates of stress due to systematic harassment and discrimination, and a lack of cultural competency in the health care system. CAP further states that members of the LGBT population are at a higher risk for cancer, mental illness, and other diseases, and are more likely to smoke, drink alcohol, use drugs, and engage in other risky behaviors. CAP asserts that people who are both LGBT and members of a racial or ethnic minority will often face the highest level of health disparities. For example, as the National Coalition for LGBT Health notes, a black gay man faces disparities common to the African American community as well as those suffered by the LGBT community, and a transgender Spanish-speaking woman, regardless of her sexual orientation, must navigate multiple instances of discrimination based on language, ethnicity, and gender. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains that the perspectives and needs of LGBT people should be routinely considered in public health efforts to improve overall health of every person and eliminate health disparities. 4)SUPPORT . Equality California, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, and the California Immigrant Policy Center all write in support that integrating health issues affecting the LGBT communities as part of the mission of OMH will allow OMH to close the gap in health status and access to care and address the health disparities impacting LGBT communities. 5)PRIOR LEGISLATION . AB 1107 (Cedillo), Ch. 146, Statutes of 1999, establishes OMH in DPH. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : Support American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO California Immigrant Policy Center AB 673 Page 4 Equality California Opposition None on file. Analysis Prepared by : Tanya Robinson-Taylor / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097