188 Meeting the Needs of Transgender People through Community Engagement

Abstract

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Alachua TranQuility was formed in early 2016 to address needs of transgender people in Alachua County, Florida and surrounding areas. Increasing awareness of gender identity issues created a growing population in need of additional health and social services to counter the negative health outcomes traditionally experienced by transgender people. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: The group met monthly at UF HealthStreet, a CTSA community engagement program, where social and medical referrals and opportunities to participate in research were made available to attendees. Those attending included transgender and gender non-conforming individuals as well as family, friends and other allies. Outreach was conducted through social media, physical fliers, and tabling at community events. TranQuility partnered with local LGBTQ organizations to promote activities. Leadership was provided by a steering committee that changed over time, with feedback from attendees guiding planning. Simultaneous to TranQuilitys founding, a Youth Gender Clinic was established at UF Health, clearly demonstrating the need for services aimed at the transgender population. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Between February 2016 and September 2019, attendance at meetings was logged per HealthStreet protocols. Age of attendees ranged from 10 to 75, and most were non-Hispanic whites. More than 300 individuals attended meetings across time, and many attended multiple meetings, with greater than 15% having attended five or more meetings. Attendance averaged around 30+ each month, with a high of 76. Educational programming was offered, such as information on hormone therapy and name/gender marker change, and a parent support group was formed to meet concurrently with the main group. Social opportunities were very popular, as a safe place for people to present as their authentic selves. The coronavirus pandemic curtailed in-person meetings at HealthStreet in 2020, but the group plans to return to this format in 2022. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: TranQuility has become an established organization to which other groups provide referrals. Qualitatively it is clear that many people have been positively impacted. An ongoing discussion for the group, however, has been to improve outreach to transgender people of color, who typically suffer from the most discrimination and anti-trans violence.