WHAT: Services & Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) will host the “Chicago Provider Panel on Diversity and Inclusion,” to be held during the 2012 SAGENet Annual Meeting, a yearly gathering of local SAGE affiliates that serve LGBT elders in different parts of the country. This panel convenes at a pivotal time, as the demographics of older people in the United States is rapidly changing: elders of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elders together will represent a majority of older adults in this country by 2050. Yet they face profound economic insecurity. Also, critical services, such as health care, are often less accessible and responsive to the needs of these communities; people of color are less likely to be insured and receive preventative treatment while LGBT older adults face similar experiences due to anti-LGBT stigma and a widespread lack of cultural competency, among other factors. What then should local aging providers do to better support these populations?

The panel will feature top leaders from Chicago’s LGBT and aging organizations who will highlight the progress that their organizations and communities have made towards being more responsive to these diverse populations, as well as discuss the infrastructure and policy changes needed to better meet the needs of historically underserved elders. The Chicago Provider Panel on Diversity and Inclusion is open to the public.

The 2012 SAGENet Annual Meeting is a 3-day training and networking event bringing together current and future leaders from SAGENet affiliates to exchange ideas about LGBT aging programs and policies, discuss how federal policy affects their local work, and learn about a workforce development program for under-employed and unemployed LGBT elders. SAGENet comprises 23 affiliates located in 16 states around the country, across every region of the country. These affiliates provide services and programs to LGBT older people in their local communities. They also work on city and state advocacy to ensure that public policies better support the needs of LGBT elders.

WHO:  Panelists will include Dennis Beauchamp, Clinical Manager of Community Counseling, CJE SeniorLife; Michael Goldberg, Executive Director, Heartland Housing; Kim L. Hunt, Executive Director, Affinity Community Services; Beverly Kimmons, Director of Diversity Initiatives, Alzheimer’s Association; Britta Larson, Senior Services Director, Center on Halsted; and Grisel Rodriguez-Morales, Rush University Medical Center. The panel will be moderated by SAGE Executive Director Michael Adams.

WHERE: Center on Halsted, 3656 N Halsted Street, Chicago, IL, Hoover-Leppen Theater

WHEN: Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 9:30am – 11:00am

CONTACT: For more information about the Chicago Provider Panel on Diversity and Inclusion or 2012 SAGENet Annual Meeting, please contact Serena Worthington, Director of Community Advocacy and Capacity Building, at 312.919.4506 or sworthington@sageusa.org.

SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders) is the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) older adults. Founded in 1978 and headquartered in New York City, SAGE is a national organization that offers supportive services and consumer resources to LGBT older adults and their caregivers, advocates for public policy changes that address the needs of LGBT older people, and provides training for aging providers and LGBT organizations through its National Resource Center on LGBT Aging. With offices in New York City, Washington, DC and Chicago, SAGE coordinates a growing network of 22 local SAGE affiliates in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Learn more at sageusa.org and lgbtagingcenter.org. 

About Center of Halsted Center on Halsted is the Midwest's most comprehensive community center dedicated to advancing the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community and securing the health and well-being of LGBTQ individuals. More than 1,000 community members visit the Center every day, located in the heart of Chicago's Lakeview Neighborhood. Learn more at centeronhalsted.org.