OMNI Institute

Behavioral Health in the LGBTQ+ Community: OMNI’s work with Envision:You

Envision:You is a non-profit with a mission to support, educate, and empower members of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community who are living with a mental health and/or substance use disorder.

Colorado LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health State of the State Report

Envision:You partnered with OMNI on a groundbreaking Behavioral Health State of the State survey of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community to collect and present data that will inform future policies and programming.

This report details individuals’ behavioral health needs and experiences with particular attention paid to intersectionality of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and geography. 588 community members from across Colorado responded to an online survey, findings which were further contextualized through 17 community member interviews.

Exploring Early Impacts of COVID-19 for LGBTQ+ Coloradans

OMNI Institute in partnership with Envision:You, released the Our Community & COVID-19 Survey conducted in April 2020. The survey looked at the impact the early days of the coronavirus pandemic had on Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community. Key findings included:

• Forty-four percent reported a loss of social support systems

• Over half of those do not feel they have what they need to manage their mental health right now

• Thirty percent reported a loss of a job or income

• Six out of 10 of those are worried about making ends meet

LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Provider Training Program

​OMNI Institute created the Envision:You Behavioral Health Provider Training Program to introduce providers to models of identity development for LGBTQ+ individuals, while stressing the importance of affirmative behavioral health care for LGBTQ+ client populations within multicultural and intersectional contexts. This course challenges providers to examine their personal and professional frameworks as they relate to: Gender; sexuality; and the intersections of race, religion, and power, while enhancing their knowledge, skills, and cultural competence when working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) youth, adults, couples, and family systems. Common countertransference and transference concerns will also be addressed. Application of terms, concepts, models, and affirmative interventions will be demonstrated.

The overall objectives of this training series are to bring cultural relevance into working with LGBTQ+ clients in a behavioral health setting AND to create affirming and inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ clients. These objectives will run throughout this multi-level training program.

With greater societal awareness about sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity, people are coming out at younger ages, and–when compared to what has been reported in the literature–in unprecedented ways. Many individuals, families, schools, and communities are looking to mental health clinicians to provide guidance, increase protective factors, and respond in culturally appropriate manners across all practice settings.

OMNI is currently working on an expansion of this training program to develop 4 additional training modules that are focused on serving the specific needs of LGBTQ+ people of color, older adults, youth and young adults, and trans and gender diverse populations.

Colorado HIV Prevention and Care Needs Assessment

Part I: Developing a Needs Assessment

OMNI recently completed multiple survey and focus group efforts as a part of our work on behalf of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment (DDPHE) for the Colorado HIV Prevention and Care needs assessment. Critical to this effort was a process that meaningfully engaged diverse vested partners across the state so that the tools, processes, and deliverables reflected community needs and strengths. Our role included developing and refining three survey tools and multiple tailored focus group guides for different sub-populations through an in-depth community input process; programming surveys into an online data collection platform; working in partnership with the CDPHE and DDPHE and associated vested partners to identify appropriate participant recruitment channels to reach diverse community members, including those who are vulnerable to contracting HIV; monitoring survey response rates and dynamically adjusting recruitment methods to ensure engagement across numerous specific demographic and geographic subpopulations; administering incentives to participants in various formats to reduce barriers (e.g., providing mailed gift cards, e-cards, gift card pick-up sites around the Denver metropolitan area through community-based partners for participants who did not have a Colorado mailing address; and providing options to different vendors); and analyzing and reporting on all data, while lifting up differences by demographic and geographic subpopulations.

LGBTQ+ communities have historically been and continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV. In order to fully understand the experiences of our LGBTQ+ community members living with HIV and best be able to implement HIV prevention strategies within the LGBTQ+ community, significant efforts were made to ensure representation from within the community both in quantitative and qualitative work. Survey outreach efforts included tailored recruitment and engagement of LGBTQ+ serving organizations and business, while LGBTQ+ community members made up a significant number of focus group participants. Particular attention was placed upon developing an understanding of the needs of individuals living at the intersection of multiple identities, such as LGBTQ+ people of color, older adults living with HIV, and LGBTQ+ youth and young adults.

Part II: Creating a Coordinated Statement of Need (CoSCSN)

The Colorado Statewide Coordinated Statement of Need (CoSCSN) is the result of a comprehensive needs assessment process that took place from fall 2020 through summer of 2021 across HIV prevention and care services, strategies, and needs. The CoSCSN processes built on the methodology and data used in the prior CoSCSN and focused intently on gathering community input through comprehensive surveys, focus group, and interview processes from people in the state of Colorado who are either living with HIV or who are vulnerable to the acquisition of HIV. Perspectives from community throughout the state were gathered and are the foundation of the findings within this report. Data from community input are complemented by secondary data sources including data on the HIV care continuum in the state, provider shortage areas, anda comprehensive epidemiological picture of the current state of HIV care needs and prevention needs in Colorado. It is important to note that the CoSCSN process occurred in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such much of the data collected can be interpreted through the lens of the broad impact that COVID-19 has had in communities. Throughout the report aspects of service provision and client experience that were impacted by COVID-19 are highlighted in the data.

Ultimately, the goal of the CoSCSN is to provide a depth of information that will inform development of the Colorado Integrated HIV Prevention and Care plan. The Colorado Integrated HIV Prevention and Care plan, also referred to as the Colorado HIV/AIDS Strategy (COHAS), is the state’s jurisdictional plan for guiding HIV/AIDS services over the subsequent 5-year period (2022-2026). It serves as a roadmap for HIV planning bodies to plan and provide prevention and care services and is a living document that will be adapted to remain responsive as the HIV landscape evolves.

LGBTQ+ Life at OMNI

In addition, OMNI is working to further our commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion as part of our organization’s DEI efforts, including developing a policy for trans inclusion to solidify our support of trans and gender diverse staff members, constructing company guidance on pronoun usage, and ensuring the work we do with our clients reflect our internal values around DEI. Read more about our company’s commitment to DEI.