Funding to expand LGBTQ health care services reaches Peoria [Video]

PEORIA (25News Now) – Central Illinois Friends is one of 15 organizations to receive a piece of more than $1 million through the state’s new Transgender and Gender-Diverse (TGD) Wellness and Equity Program.

The program, started by the Illinois Department of Human Services and Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago (PHIMC), was created to expand gender-affirming health care to the LGBTQ+ community.

“Providing services that understand the uniqueness of this population, that are focused on making sure that they are affirmed and welcomed, is essential,” PHIMC CEO Karen Reitan said. “It’s a population that hasn’t had these kinds of affirming services state-wide before, and it’s high time that they do.”

Reitan says the money is program-specific. One portion will go towards hiring people to help the LGBTQ+ community navigate the healthcare system, and the rest for unique projects.

Central Illinois Friends already offers services that include transgender health navigation specialists, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and speech pathology services. The leaders say the funding will …