Gay Latino: Findings Found in Research

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The Gay Initiative research project aims to gather a deeper understanding of obstacles and barriers that subsequently lead to reduced utilization rates of healthcare services among many gay Latinos living in Chicago. Through a series of individual interviews and focus groups, we gathered data to understand better the correlation among generational trauma, cultural pride, HIV stigma, and machismo and how that leads to a lower utilization rate of healthcare services. Among our findings, the most notable was that an individualโ€™s socioeconomic status has a strong correlation to their healthcare literacy and utilization rate. Not knowing what insurance covers, what co-pays to expect, and what it means to be out of the network are all things preventing individuals from advocating for their health. We learned that among Latinos, the topic of sex is something that is not spoken about among family and friends. The lack of sexual education often leads to further stigmatization of HIV, STIs, and sex in general. Other notable themes were hours of operation and healthcare officesโ€™ locations were identified as barriers to access to healthcare. As we wrap up the data-gathering portion of the project, we are excited to share with you the innovative concepts centered around the services we offer to combat these barriers, which we have identified. 

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