Equity & Access: Lily Griego’s Comments from the Grand Opening
Remarks from Lily Griego, Regional Director for U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, at the grand opening of Out Boulder County’s Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains.
April 8th, 2022
3340 Mitchell Ln, Boulder, CO 80301
Good afternoon. Thank you to Governor Polis and First Gentleman Reis for being here and for their words today. Thank you to The Mardi Moore for the invitation to be with you today. Thank you to the Board and the staff at Out Boulder County for their leadership and hard work in making the goal of having a community space for the LGBTQ community here in Boulder and throughout the Rocky Mountain Region a reality. And finally, thank you to all of you in the community for your support through this process and for being here today.
My name is Lily Griego, and I am the Regional Director at the U.S Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, serving Secretary Xavier Becerra, the first ever Latino to serve in this important role for the Biden-Harris administration.
Health Equity is leading our work at HHS at the direction of President Biden and Secretary Becerra. We know that there are consequences of social, structural, economic, and environmental discrimination. These are conditions that determine people’s risk of illness, access to care, and life expectancy. It is our collective work to disrupt these patterns.
HHS works to ensure that people who identify as LGBTQ, their allies, their families, and their communities receive equal access to health services by providing enhanced resources for LGBTQ health issues; developing better information regarding LGBTQ health needs; and working to close the LGBTQ health disparities gap that currently exists.
During COVID-19, many of us have heard about the acronyms CDC and FDA.
But there are other HHS agencies, many that are doing this exact work.
To name a few:
HRSA, or Health Resources and Services Administration, oversees the Health Center Program and provides technical assistance and trainings on creating transgender inclusive environments and supporting LGBTQ families and children in receiving primary care services.
SAMHSA, or Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, just last month made the case for youth who identify as LGBTQ to receive evidence-based care and released funding to develop a sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services, particularly for LGBTQ youth.
OCR, The Office of Civil Rights, is here to protect the civil rights of individuals who access or seek to access covered health programs or activities. Anyone who believes that they have been discriminated against based on gender identity or disability when seeking to access gender affirming health care can visit the OCR complaint portal to file a complaint online.
At the same time, at the center of this work is the recognition that achieving equity is hyperlocal work, and is most successful when done in partnership and collaboration with those most impacted.
It is for that reason that I am honored to be here today to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains.
Services like mental health and case management ensure that people receive the services they need. This is more important than ever to have available to youth and their families.
Secretary Becerra said: “Fear of discrimination can lead individuals to forgo care, which can have serious negative health consequences. It is the position of the Department of Health and Human Services that everyone – including LGBTQ people – should be able to access health care, free from discrimination or interference, period.”
I have seen the incredible work done by Mardi and the team at Out Boulder County and I look forward to seeing that continue, bigger and better, in the NEW Equality Center of the Rocky Mountains.
Thank you.