The 18th Rainbow Health Fair is here again! Sat. June 25th 12-4pm

Come and visit us at the only health fair for the LBTQ community.
For more information go to gaycity.org/RainbowHealth
 

For a mammogram for people 40+, with or without insurance call 206.461.4493
Breast exams for people of all ages and genders.

New this year dental treatments for very low-income!

 

17TH Rainbow Health Fair, Sat. June 27th, 2015

Rainbow Health Fair: free, fun, safe and queer!!

 

We are so excited to host the 17th annual Rainbow Health Fair on Saturday, June 27, from 1-4pm at All Pilgrims Church on Broadway and Republican at the Capitol Hill Pride Festival. At the Rainbow Health Fair, we create a safe space where people of all genders and sexualities are served by LBTQ-friendly providers and treated with respect.

 

Our vision:

A world where people of all genders and sexualities have access to the resources they need for optimal wellness.

• Free mammograms, for uninsured individuals.  Insurance is accepted.
• Call for an appointment 206.461.4493
• Free pap test and chest/breast exam for all ages and genders.
• Free massages and acupuncture etc.
• Free car tips and self defense
• Free snacks and water
• Lots of great information for your health and wellbeing.
• OrcaLift, insurance enrollment and info

       !! Win a raffle prize like tickets for SIFF, The Storm, Babeland etc.!!

• We'll be posting more soon about the awesome providers we have lined up for you, check out: https://www.facebook.com/events/1002794203077761/
• Save the date to come see us at Capitol Hill Pride! The Rainbow Health Fair:

free, fun, safe and queer!!

LGBT Health Care Bill of Rights

LGBT health disparities will not be finished overnight.

Corey Prachniak was the instigator for a document that would explain to LGBT people what they should expect when they see a medical provider, what rights protect their access to quality care, and what they can do if they are wronged. And we based it all on one starting principal that, while simple, is also critical in our collective fight for justice:

Queer people are not receiving quality health care, and they deserve to be.


Our lives matter, our bodies matter, and our sexualities and genders matter. They matter to us, and they should matter to our providers to inform and improve care. It starts with education, and if we can't educate every doctor, nurse, and administrator in the country, we can at least educate ourselves.


Here is the link to this so important article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/corey-prachniak/lgbt-healthcare-bill-of-rights_b_6171016.html?utm_hp_ref=lgbt-wellness


Follow Corey Prachniak on Twitter: www.twitter.com/LGBTadvocacy   


 

Know your rights

As we begin the new year and consider how we want to live in 2015, it’s a great idea to consider how you want your health to be and any new health care changes coming your way. Maybe you would like to speak with a counselor about stress in your life, are expecting a new baby in the family, or are due for your first mammogram this year.
We meet with medical professionals for help and trust their expertise. But it’s also important to know your rights when it comes to your health care. HealthCare.gov shares information with us about new rights and protections we all have, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
How the health care law protects you

• Creates the Health Insurance Marketplace, a new way for individuals, families, and small businesses to get health coverage
• Requires insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing health conditions
• Helps you understand the coverage you’re getting
• Holds insurance companies accountable for rate increases
• Makes it illegal for health insurance companies to arbitrarily cancel your health insurance just because you get sick
• Protects your choice of doctors
• Covers young adults under 26
• Provides free preventive care
• Ends lifetime and yearly dollar limits on coverage of essential health benefits

Here some additional rights and benefits, and information on how to protect yourself from fraud when you apply for insurance:

• Breastfeeding equipment and support
• Birth control methods and counseling
• Mental health and substance abuse services
• Appealing a health plan decision
• Learn how to protect yourself from fraud when you apply for health coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace.

On top of what HealthCare.gov outlines as protections in the Affordable Care Act, there are protections and rights that directly support people who identify as LGBTQ. In 2014, LGBT HealthLink partnered with PROMO Missouri and lawyer Corey Prachniak to create the Healthcare Bill of Rights - a short document summarizing LGBTQ rights in the healthcare world now.
The creators of the Healthcare Bill of Rights write:

Your personal life and relationships affect your health more than you realize, so your doctor and other providers need to know your story.
We should all feel safe talking about our sexual partners, sex lives, sexual orientation, HIV status, and gender identity.

• Learn how to file a complaint if you’ve faced discrimination.
• See how you can find a medical provider who will respect your rights and identity.
• Read how you can plan for your future care with a healthcare power of attorney.

Read the Healthcare Bill of Rights here

Learn more about the Healthcare Bill of Rights and its history here. And if you want your very own copy of the Healthcare Bill of Rights, check out the different versions available here

Stress Strategies by ywcakatie

From coping with the holidays, to dealing with the darker and shorter winter days, to the ongoing stress that results from care-giving, many of us experience stress on a regular basis and have different ways to cope with it.

Today, the Office on Women's Health and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine hosted a live conversation on Twitter about stress - they called it a #stresschat. Want to catch up on the conversation? Go here. Many different people and organizations have been participating in today's conversation on Twitter. Here are some resources people shared that I am finding helpful.

The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) helps us understand what
stress actually is:

Stress is a physical and emotional reaction that people experience as they encounter changes in life. Stress is a normal feeling. However, long-term stress may contribute to or worsen a range of health problems including digestive disorders, headaches, sleep disorders, and other symptoms. Stress may worsen asthma and has been linked to depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses.

NCCAM also talks about relaxation techniques we can all use to reduce tension and address the stress we are experiencing. Different techniques include deep breathing, guided imagery and meditation. Want to learn more? Check out these five things to know about relaxation techniques for stress.

The Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health says, "If you’re alive, you experience stress." How true that is.

A little bit of stress is ok, but chronic stress can have long-lasting impacts on our health. Dr. Susan Lord, a Kripalu Healthy Living faculty member and expert in mind-body medicine, says we can "transform stress by intentionally activating the relaxation response, which increases blood flow to the brain and releases chemicals that make your organs slow down." And that' a good thing.

There are seven steps she suggests to activating our relaxation response and increase our mindful living:

1.    Develop self-awareness via yoga and meditation.

  2.    Express yourself creatively.

3.    Be here now. Live in the present moment - not too much in the past or the future.

4.    Find community.

5.    Identify stressful thoughts and beliefs. Eavesdrop on your internal dialogue. Just noticing will prepare you to start shifting stressful thoughts and beliefs to more positive ones.

6.    Do experiments: "Identify one concern you have about your life or health, and come up with a new way to deal with it."

7.    Avoid judgment. Notice when you start to criticize yourself and others, and be kind instead.

These are all great tips that you can use to care for yourself. But what about when you have someone else to care for, as well? AARP talks about when caregivers experience a lot of stress - and what to do to take care of yourself and the other person you're caring for.

AARP has their own list of 10 tips. Here are just a few!

  ·         Put your physical needs first. If you're not caring for yourself (eating well, getting enough sleep,   
          getting regular medical check-ups...), you wont' be in any shape to care for others.

·         Ask for help.

·         Get organized. Develop a system with calendars and to-do lists to help you stay on top of it all.

·         Take a break. You deserve it. Really.

We all experience significant stress at some point in our lives. It is so important that we take care of ourselves, model self-care to others, and be there for others who may be going through a tough time. What are some strategies that work for you? What is one new thing you plan to try to manage the stress in your life?

 

Wishing you a wonderful and relaxed holiday season

and an exciting and healthy new year!!

Rainbow Banner on Broadway in front of the All Pilgrims Church

 

Special shout out to one of our providers. Come and see her tomorrow at the healthfair.

B.E.S.T. Energy Healing

Linda Rasmussen - Vertical Energy Worldwide
Linda Rasmussen is the founder and CEO of Vertical Energy Worldwide, a self-development and training company. Since 1983, she has taught innovative tools and techniques that help individuals and teams function more authentically, energetically and effectively. Rasmussen is an accomplished speaker in the field of self-development. In the course of her career, she has created and coordinated large scale events for well-known organizations such as the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle, Seattle Center, and YWCA.
Linda Rasmussen is an Elite Master B.E.S.T. (Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique) Practitioner. She is a Certified Trainer in the Gentle Art of Verbal Self Defense. She believes that all people are capable of making positive changes for their health, happiness and success.
B.E.S.T. is a light-touch energy balancing modality that helps the body heal from injury, disease and emotional distress by clearing energetic interference.

Two of our loyal volunteers

 

Tomorrow is the big day, great time to give Kudo's....

 

The T-Shirts are here the party can start!!

 

Hereby I want to take the opportunity to thank all the folks and organizations who make this event happen!!

 

To start with the Rainbow Health Committee, who were a pleasure to work with and who did an excellent job putting the whole health fair together.

Jen Peters, meeting facilitator, volunteer coordinator.

 Sarah Eckman, provider liason

Nixon VanJustice, logistics coordinator

Sara Jaye Sanford, administrator

Ingrid Berkhout overall oversight.

 

A special shout out for all the volunteers for the day off, thank you!!!!

 

The First Baptist Church has graciously and free given us a place to gather

for our meetings.

The All Pilgrims Church which over at least 13 years out of the past 16 years has been the most welcoming and accomondating place to have our health fairs.

The YWCA Community Affairs team, which helped with all the advertising.

 

Our grantors and sponsors:

The Pride Foundation

The Faygele ben Miriam Fund

The Susan G. Komen Puget Sound Affiliate

Swedish Breast Center

Dyna Care

Cedar River Clinic

Girlie Press

The Seattle Gay News

The Stranger

The Lesbian

Starbucks on Broadway and Republican

 

Where did our raffle items come from??

Seattle International Film Festival

Three Dollar Bill Cinema

Rat City Roller Girls

Babeland

Nixon VanJustice

 

 

Have a happy, healthy, fun and queer Pride!!