In honor of Pride Month, the Washington Health Alliance hosted a screening of Between the Shades, a documentary by director Jill Salvino.

For those who were not able to attend and those who would like to watch it again, the Alliance has put together a video that includes the conversation and interviews with panelists and attendees.

Please do not hesitate to share the link with friends and family.

Addressing the behavioral health needs of the LGBTQ+ community is a crucial issue. Within the last year, statistics show that 45% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered death by suicide. The panel discussion highlighted several key avenues to address the problem.

Some of those highlights include:

• Creating a safe environment for patients/clients starts with how an organization represents itself.
• Older adults may have experienced more rejection and discrimination than today’s generation. We have more work to do to create an accepting and safe environment.
• Partner with community-based organizations to create a peer-led workforce to deliver evidence-based interventions for mild forms of depression or anxiety.

For those interested in resources shared during the discussion, those materials can be found here. (LGBTQ+ Mental Health Resources)

This event was possible with the help of our sponsors: Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, with additional support from Aetna, City of Seattle, Community Health Plan of Washington, Kaiser Permanente Washington, Milliman MedInsight, Neighborcare Health, Optum, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, and Washington State Health Care Authority.