PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — To expand and navigate LGBTQ+ healthcare, the Illinois Department of Human Services has granted $250,000 to start a new program.

The new program aims to give more resources to organizations providing gender affirming care.

Selena Pappas with Central Illinois Friends said that there are “multiple parts to this grant.”

“So part of that is the hiring of a trans health navigator,” she said. “Part of that is the affirmative counseling program and part of that is just the ongoing mission of educating local physicians and providers, and expanding trans health care in Illinois.”

She said the grant’s purpose is to make healthcare fair.

“What this grant goes towards is creating more of an equity mindset in healthcare,” she said. “The goal for a lot of folks is we want to create equality in healthcare. That means when the doctor comes in, no matter what your identity is on that chart sheet that the doctor is treating you the same as they would treat any other patient.”

In a press release, the IDHS said that “According to a 2022 survey from Center for American Progress, more than one in five adults LGBTQ+ adults said they avoided care due to disrespect and or discrimination from providers.”

The program is set to begin in July.