Description:
LGBTQ populations are at higher risk for COVID-19 due in part to wildly disproportionate rates of smoking, vaping, and other forms of tobacco use. Tobacco dependence usually starts in adolescence, and studies have shown LGBTQ youth are especially vulnerable to substance misuse, predatory ad campaigns, and peer influence. This webinar will explore the rates, risks, and intersections of tobacco use and the novel coronavirus among queer and gender expansive teens and young adults.

Presenter:
Kate Bishop, MSSA, the Education Coordinator at the LGBT Health Resource Center of Chase Brexton, is a seasoned professional development trainer with expertise in working with LGBTQ populations, sexual and reproductive health care, adolescent development, intimate partner violence, and sexual trauma. She is certified as a trainer through GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network) as well as SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders). Before joining the Chase Brexton team, she developed the capacity building program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s STAR TRACK Adolescent HIV program, providing cultural responsiveness trainings for agencies that serve sexual minority youth of color. Ms. Bishop holds a Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies from Hiram College and a Masters in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University.

Learning Objectives:

• Review current data on LGBTQ youth, tobacco use, and COVID-19
• Examine the lung health impacts of COVID-19, smoking, and vaping in adolescents
• Describe the unique vulnerabilities of LGBTQ youth that influence tobacco use
• Explore best practices to support LGBTQ young people in avoiding or quitting their use of tobacco products

Contact Hours: 1 NAADAC

This event is provided in collaboration by the Central East PTTC, the Central East MHTTC and the Central East ATTC.