The School of Nursing's Dalmacio Dennis Flores has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation to expand a program supporting LGBTQ adolescents and their families.
The grant was awarded as part of the Hillman Innovations in Care program, one of the defining initiatives of the Hillman Foundation, according to Penn Almanac. The grant aims to help increase the spread of evidence-based interventions that benefit and address the needs of communities that are oppressed or discriminated against.
Flores is an assistant professor of nursing who works in the Department of Family and Community Health. His work is focused on HIV/STI prevention and education, as well as the mental health of gender and sexually diverse youth. The grant will go towards helping expand Parents Advancing Supportive and Sexuality-Inclusive Sex Talks, according to Penn Almanac.
This digitally accessible intervention provides parents with the tools and knowledge to support their LGBTQ children throughout their adolescence. The program’s goal is to help fill in the educational gaps for parents who currently lack resources and contact with health care professionals.
According to Penn CURF, alongside the Sexual Health Inclusivity during Family Talks program and the Gender-Inclusive Sexuality Talks project, Parents ASSIST is the first project in the entire country that will present animation to parents for LGBTQ topics.
At Penn, Flores is the course director for various courses, including NURS 5470: “Scientific Inquiry for Evidence-Based Practice, NURS 3030/5030: “Contemporary Issues in Human Sexuality”, and NURS 3420/5420: “LGBTQ Health,” according to the Nursing School.
“We are thrilled about receiving this grant as it not only stands to create solutions for overlooked parenting concerns, but also because it is a result of our sustained partnerships with diverse stakeholders in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey," Flores said to Penn Almanac.
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