Item 4: Clear the Air ATX Slide Deck — original pdf

Backup

March 2026 Long COVID, LGBTQIA+ Community , and Public Health in Austin Introduction Recipient of the American Association of People with Disabilities 2026 Paul G Hearne Emerging Leader Award Contributor to Patient-Led Research Collaborative Board Member & Accessibility Coordinator of Austin Dyke March Founder of Clear the Air ATX 2 ● According to the CDC, Over 6 million people in Texas have a disability, or about 29% of the population. ● Texas also has the lowest health insurance rate in the country, with 13.6% of Texas children and 21.6% of Texas adults who do not have health insurance. This leads to many health barriers for people to access basic care. Healthcare & Disability in Texas Sources: Texas Care for Children , CDC Disability and Health Data System, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth Less than 2% of U.S. adults are trans or nonbinary, yet nearly 24% of all transgender adults report that they have experienced Long Covid. Bisexual adults report Long Covid cases at the same percentage rate (24%). That makes Trans adults and bisexual adults, along with Disabled adults, are the demographic groups experiencing Long Covid in the highest percentages in the country.” ● Transgender: 27.6% ● Bisexual: 22.9% ● Gay or lesbian: 21.6% ● Cis-gender female: 21.8% ● ● Cis-gender male: 13.7% Straight: 17.3% Long Covid and the LGBTQIA+ Community Research shows people from the LGBTQIA+ community face higher risk of Long COVID. Sources: Clear Health Costs, Posters by Artist Anna @copy_of_a_copy on X. US Household Pulse Survey HIV x Long Covid People with HIV had a significantly higher risk of developing long COVID across multiple organ systems than people without HIV. Sources: 48 Hills Article CIDRAP: HIV infection linked to increased risk of long COVID Long COVID Justice: Reasons PWH are more likely to develop LC One study published in February 2026 utilized linked electronic health records found: Overall, 16.3% of PWH received a long-COVID diagnosis, compared with 10.6% of PWoH, for a 29% higher risk of developing any long-COVID condition. Reasons for this may include: More severe acute COVID-19, Chronic comorbid conditions Socioeconomic factors, HIV virus-specific activity, HIV-associated immune dysfunction & different immune responses to COVID-19 infection, Baseline inflammation due to chronic HIV infection “I’d like to talk about how I see the two pandemics intersecting in my life…I was infected with HIV in 1983 and went on to develop full blown AIDS 10 years later…I had already lost my right lung to [Pulmonary] Kaposi Sarcoma, now [due to COVID] my left lung was inflamed and I was gasping for air. At the ER I once again was treated like I had leprosy…I don’t want to die, but I can’t call this living. Two years ago I was doing laps around central park. Today, I can’t walk up a flight of steps without feeling faint…During the AIDS pandemic I took to the streets to ACT UP to demand funding for AIDS research. I learned that a voice is a powerful tool, it can change the way people think and act. Today I find myself in a similar position with Long COVID and ME/CFS…I am compelled to fight for respect, research, and funding.” -Phillip Shubin HIV and Long Covid Patient & Survivor Sources: Trust Yourself & Take Care of Each Other: Navigating COVID & Long-COVID as HIV Long-term Survivors by The Reunion Project https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJAGeR8Qpgs 6 Austin benefits from strong healthcare institutions such as UT Austin Dell Medical School which operates post-COVID clinical services and participates in national research initiatives Austin Public Health also provides Long COVID information resources through the City website. However, available materials appear limited, are difficult to find, and have not been significantly updated since 2023. Local Healthcare Resources and Public Health Awareness Source: Dell Medical School https://dellmed.utexas.edu The current APH resource discussing Long Covid has room for improvement as it lacks critical educational information and resources that would be beneficial to the disabled community. Long Covid has a vast amount of symptoms, however, the flyer does not disclose that people could still have Long Covid but not be experiencing the symptoms they listed. There is no education discussing the cumulative risk of developing Long Covid with each additional infection. There is an absence of resources listed to help further someone’s understanding, education, and potential ability to receive medical or emotional support for Long Covid 8 As of 2025, ⅓ of people in U.S. do not know what Long Covid is despite it’s severe impact amongst all of us. We need public health awareness and educational campaigns to prevent further damage and reduce stigma. Sources: American Medical Association 10 11 12 “Al-Aly also emphasized that even with the overall decline, the lowest rate — 3.5% — remains a substantial risk. “That’s three to four vaccinated individuals out of 100 getting long COVID,” he said. “Multiplied by the large numbers of people who continue to get infected and reinfected, it’s a lot of people. This remaining risk is not trivial. It will continue to add an already staggering health problem facing people across the world.”Source Vaccines and Long Covid Sources: WashU Medicine https://medicine.washu.edu/news/risk-of-long-covid-d eclined-over-course-of-pandemic/ COVID-19 and many other viruses and pollutants that can lead to new or worsening health conditions often spreads primarily through airborne transmission. We can improve air quality through, ventilation, filtration, HEPA air purifiers can significantly reduce respiratory disease transmission. These improvements benefit, people with Long COVID, marginalized populations, immunocompromised individuals, older adults, children, etc. During the Health Indoor Air Panel the WHO declared clean indoor air is a basic human right, World Heart Federation shared that in 2019 household air pollution contributed to 3.2 million deaths. International Labour Organization said “The air we breathe indoors is central to safeguarding workers’ health and productivity. statement Clean Indoor Air and Public Health Sources: Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1v/k1vv2t3bma World Health Organization, https://www.who.int “If the act of breathing in a space makes someone sick, access isn’t equitable.” - Safer Air Project at United Nations Healthy Indoor Air Panel 2025 Opportunities for Austin Austin has a strong history of public health leadership. Opportunities include • improving public health communication • strengthening partnerships with healthcare institutions • improving access to reliable information for residents These steps can be pursued within existing City resources and staffing. Potential Recommendations for Boards and Commissions It's imperative that all 3 of these recommendations are done in collaboration and with approval by people from the Long COVID community, including patients, their allies, and engaged clinicians. Recommendation 1 Expand Austin Public Health mass communications regarding • Long COVID awareness and sharing new information regarding Long COVID on a quarterly basis. • International Long COVID Awareness Day • voluntary prevention strategies such as masking and clean indoor air Using existing City communication channels. Potential Recommendations for Boards and Commissions It's imperative that this work is done in collaboration and with approval by people from the Long COVID community, including patients, their allies, and engaged clinicians. Recommendation 2 Encourage collaboration between • Austin Public Health • Clinicians specializing in post-COVID care • Community organizations and patient advocates to develop updated Long COVID resources for Austin residents. Recommendation 3 Potential Recommendations for Boards and Commissions Explore opportunities to incorporate Long COVID indicators into existing public health data partnerships. It's imperative that this work is done in collaboration and with approval by people from the Long COVID community, including patients, their allies, and engaged clinicians. Potential partners may include • UT Austin • Dell Medical School • federal research initiatives such as NIH RECOVER Source: NIH RECOVER Initiative, https://recovercovid.org In Conclusion 1. We know the LGBTQIA+ community is experienced Long COVID. 2. We know inequitable access to vaccines only makes the problem worse, as those with disabilities and those without insurance are unable to get the treatment they need. Additionally, people are more at risk for worsening Long COVID if they have inadequate access to rest and work from home jobs. 3. We know that once someone begins to experience symptoms of Long COVID, they are more likely to have complications in other areas of their life and health. 4. Through practical steps focused on information, partnerships, and accessibility, Austin can strengthen support for residents experiencing Long COVID while remaining mindful of fiscal constraints. 20