Health & Human Services Secretary
Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday announced new efforts to collect
health data on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
populations.
“Health disparities have persistent
and costly affects for minority communities, and the whole country,”
Sebelius said in a statement. “Today we are taking critical steps
toward ensuring the collection of useful national data on minority
groups, including for the first time, LGBT populations. The data we
will eventually collect in these efforts will serve as powerful tools
and help us in our fight to end health disparities.”
The HHS will integrate questions on
sexual orientation into national data collection efforts by 2013 and
begin a process to collect information on gender identity. The
agency's plan includes the testing of questions on sexual orientation
to potentially be incorporated into the National Health Interview
Survey, the agency said.
“The first step is to make sure we
are asking the right questions,” Sebelius said. “Sound data
collection takes careful planning to ensure that accurate and
actionable data is being recorded.”
The data is expected to help federal
agencies reduce health disparities.
“These new data standards, once
finalized, will help us target our research and tailor stronger
solutions for underserved and minority communities,” said Dr. Garth
Graham, HHS Director for the Office of Minority Health.