WHO: West Virginia University Student Healthcare Alliance for Promoting Equality
WHAT: Third Annual LGBTQ+ Health Week
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 1 – Friday, Nov. 8
WHERE: Various locations, including downtown, Okey Patteson Auditorium and Health Sciences Center
Schedule:
Friday (Nov. 1)
9 - 10 p.m., Downtown — Candies, Condoms and Philanthropy
To promote positive sex practices, volunteers will distribute condoms and candy in the downtown area. The Mon County Health Department donated 200 condoms for the event. To volunteer, sign up at facebook.com/WVUSHAPE.
Monday (Nov. 4)
To be announced
Tuesday (Nov. 5)
Noon to 1 p.m., Okey Patteson — Sex Work and the LGBTQ+ Community
Presented by Allison Bass, associate professor of journalism at WVU and author of “Getting Screwed: Sex Workers and the Law,” this lecture will focus on political issues surrounding sex work.
Wednesday (Nov. 6)
Noon to 1 p.m., Okey Patteson — Safe Zone Training
Presented by Cris Mayo, WVU LGBTQ+ Center director and professor in Women’s and Gender Studies, this lecture will discuss the importance of creating inclusive environments for LGBTQ+ patients.
Thursday (Nov. 7)
Noon to 1 p.m., HSC North 1909 — Spiritual Care for LGBTQIA FOLX: A Clinical Chaplaincy Approach
Presented by Emily Misfeldt and Amanda Hill, J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital chaplains, this discussion will highlight spiritual needs and how chaplains serve LGBTQ+ patients.
Friday (Nov. 8)
Noon to 1 p.m., Okey Patteson — HUMMINGBIRD: A Discussion of Poetry and Health
Presented by Renee Nicholson, WVU professor and interim director of the Programs for Multi- and Interdisciplinary Studies, the workshop will show health care professionals how they can use poetry and art as tools to work with their patients.
NOTES: The Student Healthcare Alliance for Promoting Equality is hosting a series of events during LGBTQ+ Health Week to help students and health care professionals better understand health issues impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
According to a 2017 Williams Institute study, West Virginia has the highest per capita number of 13- to 17-year-olds who identify as transgender.
“It’s really important for our state to be aware of the issues impacting LGBT people, to make sure they’re being heard,” said Mar Dominguez, president of the Student Healthcare Alliance for Promoting Equality. “Historically, the LGBT community has had a complex relationship with medicine.”
Dominguez and other members of SHAPE hope to help future and current health care providers better understand how to communicate with their LGBTQ+ patients.
A pin-selling fundraiser will be held during each event. Proceeds will benefit a local LGBT-focused charity.
LGBTQ+ Health Week is sponsored by WVU LGBTQ+ Center, WVU Department of Emergency Medicine and WVU Department of Internal Medicine.
For more information, visit facebook.com/WVUSHAPE.
-WVU-
wh/10/301/19
CONTACT: Wendy Holdren
Senior Communications Specialist
WVU Health Sciences Center
304.293.9528; wendy.holdren@hsc.wvu.edu
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