Celebrating IDAHOBIT and addressing LGBTQIA+ health inequalities

Published May 17 2022

Merri Health is a Rainbow Tick accredited organisation, we proudly support and advocate for LGBTIQA+ community wellbeing.

We have a strong commitment to providing safe and welcoming spaces and have inclusive policies and procedures to make sure everyone feels safe accessing our services.

Proudly across our organisation, staff are getting together to show their support and going rainbow against LGBTIQA+ discrimination.

We offer LGBTIQA+ training to all staff and deliver Upstander training to build a community of allies to change broader social norms that drive discrimination.

Supporting LGBTIQA+ communities is important in addressing health inequalities and discrimination faced by many communities.

People that identify LGBTIQA+ experience poorer mental health and higher rates of suicide than the broader community. They are also at a higher risk of some health conditions and may not access support or services due to fear of discrimination.

Counselling and support for LGBTIQA+ people to talk about impacts of their alcohol and drug use in a non-judgmental and queer-affirmative space available here.