Stony Brook Medicine has begun conducting a survey of the health needs of the L.G.B.T.Q.+ community, the first such on Long Island. The survey is expected to be a crucial cog in shaping the future of the Island's first comprehensive L.G.B.T.Q.+ Health Center, named for the Southampton activist Edie Windsor, which will open this month.
"The goal of the survey is to provide members of Long Island's L.G.B.T.Q.+ community with an opportunity to state their healthcare needs so that Stony Brook Medicine and our partners can better support them and advocate on their behalf," said Dr. Allison H. Eliscu, medical director of the Adolescent LGBTQ+ Care Program at the hospital and the study's principal investigator.
"The information requested in the LGBTQ+ Health Needs Assessment Survey is critical as healthcare providers, social service providers, government officials and public health staff move to expand service offerings and serve as effective advocates," she added.
The survey is online, anonymous, and open to all L.G.B.T.Q.+ adults ages 18 years and older, including those questioning their identity, and who currently reside in either Nassau or Suffolk Counties. Eligible respondents also include college, university, and technical school students on Long Island who are 18 or older, regardless of their permanent address.
The survey, at this link, takes about 15 to 20 minutes to complete. The partnership organizations plan to distribute the link during Pride Month, which is this month.
This article has been updated to correct the entity facilitating the survey.