What a success!

For fifteen years, the Rainbow Women’s Health Fair has offered access to health information and health care services to Seattle’s LBTQ community. Last weekend, the health fair was held at All Pilgrims Church on Broadway in the middle of Pride Weekend – and it was a smashing success!

Many thanks to All Pilgrims Church, all our volunteers and providers, and the community for their participation. We couldn’t have done it without you! And we can’t wait until next year!

Katie  Lama, LPN, providing glucose and cholesterol screenings

Doris Harris from the Breast Cancer Navigation Project

Two Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence find Rainbow Women’s Health Fair Volunteers!

Volunteers Gabi and Agnes do intakes for women getting their mammograms

Volunteers Kyle and Shan offered free hugs at the Hug Deli!

YWCA Volunteer and Rainbow Health Fair Committee Member Jen Peters and YWCA Women’s Health Outreach Program Manager Ingrid Berkhout.

More Providers at the Rainbow Women's Health Fair!

The Rainbow Women's Health Fair is this Saturday, June 29th from noon to 4pm! Come stop by All Pilgrims Church on Broadway for free health modalities!

 

See our most recent blog posts for lists of the providers that are participating, including these fabulous folks:

 

 

Safer Sex

Seattle Girls of Leather are a tremendous part of the Rainbow Women's Health Fair! Look for them at the front entrance of the Rainbow, where they will be greeting attendees with delicious snacks. Inside, halth care professional Candace Cantrell, President of Seattle Girls of Leather, will be answering questions about safer sex. Candace has many years of professional and personal exSeattle Girls of Leatherperiences in alternative sexuality communities, making her a dynamic educator.

 

 

B.E.S.T. Energy Healing

Linda Rasmussen, an Elite Master of B.E.S.T.  Bio Energetic Synchronization Technique), will be doing a demonstration and providing B.E.S.T. treatment.  B.E.S.T. is a gentle, light touch, energy balancing treatment that promotes relaxation and improves whole body functioning. Linda has a private practice and conducts workshops to train individuals and parents to provide basic energy balancing support to their family members and friends.

 

Mammography

YWCA Women's Health Outreach conducts a mobile mammogram screening for income eligible people 40 and over, who are un- or under insured, under the WBCCHP . The mobile mammogram coach from Swedish Hospital will be on site providing breast exams and pap tests.

HIV Information

Entre Hermanos will be providing HIV/AIDS education specifically for the Latino/a community. They will be providing culturally appropriate information about disease prevention, education, support services, advocacy and community building.

 

Acupuncture

We have several acupuncturists coming to the Rainbow!

Andrew Ball is a volunteer with The Alternative Health Access Campaign. Andrew runs acupuncture clinics for both Tent City 3 and ROOTS, providing medical care to the homeless population of Seattle and surrounding suburbs. His style of healthcare is focused on empowering patients to be able to better take care of themselves physically, mentally, and energetically.

 

Taunya Mattson will be doing a five needle protocol that is used in acupuncture detoxification, and by acupuncturists without borders for stress relief in populations struck by natural disaster.  These needles are non-invasive, help with relaxation, and provide a safe introduction to what acupuncture can do.

 

Jonathan Silliman is an East Asian Medicine Practitioner, specializing in stress relief, sleep disturbance, and emotional equilibrium. At the fair, he will be offering ear/head/hand acupuncture as well as some clothed Shiatsu massage.

Dianna Dean celebrates 10 years as an acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist for the queer community.  She specializes in chronic health concerns from pain conditions, respiratory, gastroenterology, and menopause, to addictions, stress, depression and other psycho emotional issues. 

 

Pap Tests

 

Cedar River Cinic is providing FREE Pap tests! This will be the first year that we are able to offer this at the Rainbow. Dr. Jules Marsh from Cedar River along with Kara Harrington, ARNP student, and Amy Boone, ARNP, from Westside Family Clinic are generously offering their time to do the Paps.

 

Yoga

The Grinning Yogi will be doing a 45-minute yoga workshop from 1:15-2pm. Come join them upstairs for a relaxing and fun session of yoga!

 

Blood Pressure

 

Morgan Manalia, a nursing student at Seattle University, will be taking blood pressure readings and answering questions about blood pressure.

Glucose and Cholesterol Screenings

Katie Lama is a nurse with SeaMar Home Health. She also does work through the Mexican consulate to provide screenings like the glucose and cholesterol screenings that she will be providing at the Rainbow. Katie has worked with the queer and trans populations for decades and is excited to provide glucose and cholesterol screenings for attendees of the health fair.

 

Nutrition Information

 

Barbara Hoppe will be tabling at the Rainbow giving folks information about nutrition. Barbara is a nutritionist, health educator, and lactation consultant. She has a great deal of experience teaching about healthy eating and healthy lifestyles. Come visit her table to learn more!

 

Nutrition Demonstration

 

Golda will be doing a nutrition demonstration in the kitchen. Join her to learn how to make a healthful and nutritious smoothie!

Breast Cancer Information

 

Doris Harris from the Breast Cancer Navigation Project will tabling and providing information on how to navigate the complex experience of having breast cancer.

 

Check Your Boobies will have an information table about their program. Stop by to learn how to sign up for monthly email or text reminders to check your boobies!

 

Dealing with Pap Phobia

When was the last time you had a Pap test?

Did you know the biggest risk factor for cervical cancer is not having a Pap test every two years?

We know it can often be challenging for people who are LBTQ to feel comfortable getting a Pap test. Because of a lack of acceptance or knowledge, communities and health care providers can inadvertently create uncomfortable or unsafe environments for their LBTQ patients. It's important for LBTQ individuals to find providers they trust and clinical settings that honor confidentiality. On top of all this, the cost of health care and other barriers - like a bad experience in the past - may keep us from going to see the doctor on a regular basis.

The Advocate recently published an Op-Ed called "The Lesbian Pap Phobia." The writer describes an encounter she had with a friend who had been afraid to get a Pap test, and was asking her to be her wing-person when she went for her appointment.

While I was a bit surprised by my friend’s request for me to be her wingman for her Pap test, it was an easy yes. Honestly, though, when she first started telling me her story I got pissed off. This woman has a great job. She’s generally amazing and politically astute... Except she’s 46 and she’d never had an annual exam, a Pap, any exam whatsoever that involved her genitals.

But as I listened, I realized that she was terrified. Embarrassed. She’d learned early to be suspicious of doctors; they never quite respected her queerness. She’d never been sexually active with men; she’d never sought a birth control pill prescription for contraception or as a means of managing some of the other boatload of crap that some people with a uterus can experience with menstrual cycles. Instead, she’d gotten the message so many queer women have gotten: lesbians don’t need that kind of health care. Lesbian sex is safe sex — no risk of sexually transmitted infections? And really, who wants to endure a litany of birth control questions that are too often and too aggressively paired with a women’s health checkup anyway!  So at 46, against that backdrop, she’d taken care of almost every other preventive medical intervention possible, but not the Pap test.

... Every year, approximately 12,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer, and about 4,000 American women die of the disease. But, if it is detected early, the five-year survival rate for cervical cancer is almost 100%.


Routine screenings for cervical cancer can detect precancerous conditions and allow health care providers to treat them before they progress. And vaccination against the human papillomavirus, which causes cervical cancer, can prevent the initial infection that leads to cancer. HPV can be passed by skin-to-skin contact. Planned Parenthood health centers provide 585,000 Pap tests and advanced testing and treatment for thousands of women with abnormal Paps and precancerous conditions.

I went with my friend to get her Pap test. The nurse and the practitioner were amazing, showing such compassion and expertise, I was so proud of Planned Parenthood. The results require a repeat Pap. I’ll be there again, no question. And I will fight with more verve and spirit than I did before. Because lesbians matter, and cervical health matters regardless of sexual orientation or sexual behaviors. Seriously.

At the 15th Annual Rainbow Health Fair on Saturday, June 29, we will have free Pap tests available for individuals of all ages from peer providers. To learn more about the health fair, Pap tests, or women's health in general - please contact YWCA Women's Health Outreach Program Manager Ingrid Berkhout at 206.461.4493 or iberkhou@ywcaworks.org.

Congratulations to our Raffle Winners!

This year, we had some wonderful raffle prizes to share! Many thanks to all who donated their products and services.

After health fair participants filled out health assessments, they were invited to enter our raffle drawing. Here are the prizes we awarded:

Four passes to SIFF Uptown Cinema, unlimited movies through the end of the year

Two tickets to a Seattle Storm game

Four tickets to a Rat City Roller Girls bout, plus merchandise vouchers

Two tickets to a Seattle Women's Chorus performance at St. Mark's Cathedral

Two tickets to a film at the 2012 Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival

Two tickets to the Wildrose Tavern's Gay Pride Block Party

One gift bag from Babeland

Congratulations to everyone who won a prize! We hope you enjoy them!

Special blessed thanks to the First Baptist Church for providing a no-cost meeting space!

Thank you, Volunteers!

Many thanks to our lovely volunteers for putting together a fabulous 14th Annual LBTQ Rainbow Health Fair!

Without your support, we could not have pulled this together.

Terr got our Rainbow Health Fair Committee started this year, and created the Google Site we used to stay organized. Liz led the charge on developing our magnificent health fair poster. Mary and Sam spearheaded our fundraising efforts, raising a total of $1,900! Sara Jay provided critical feedback during planning sessions and did some wonderful outreach. Jen was the "Logisitics Wizard" - not an easy role to play! Sam also played an important administrative role in the committee.

We also had six volunteers who helped create a sign for the health fair, managed the music, worked the front desk, helped set up and break down, and more!

Many thanks to all who made a contribution!

Rainbow Health Fair Map

Message from the YWCA's CEO: Proud to highlight YWCA’s commitment to our diverse community

Gay Pride Month provides us with a timely opportunity to highlight the important commitment that the YWCA makes in providing services to a diverse community of women, men and children – regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.


We believe that every person has inherent dignity and worth. This belief guides everything we do at the YWCA: how we work with clients, our policies, our relationships with colleagues, partners and donors. It’s embedded in our mission/vision statement: “We believe that working together we can create a community where all people live in dignity, free from violence, racism and discrimination.”

The LGBTQ community has experienced a history of violence and discrimination, and we believe that standing with our LGBTQ clients, staff, volunteers, board members and supporters is one concrete way we express our belief in the dignity and worth of every human being.

In celebration of Gay Pride Month, YWCA staff and volunteers are looking forward to participating in the 38th annual Pride Parade: The Many Faces of Pride, in Seattle this Sunday (June 24). We hope to see you along the parade route – we’ll be the group dressed mostly in orange!

We also hope you will join us at the 14th annual LBTQ Rainbow Health Fair on June 23 from noon to 5 p.m. at Seattle Central Community College. This fun event features complimentary health resources–from Zumba to acupuncture, massage therapy and nutrition.


These are just two of the events that our YWCA will be participating in that celebrate our rich, diverse community. Please visit us here on ywcaworks.org or like us on Facebook to learn about the events that we are joining or hosting in the upcoming months.

This blog post was originally posted on YWCA Leadership Blog: Message from our CEO, Sue Sherbrooke.

Join us at the Rainbow Health Fair on Sat., June 23rd!

Statement from Patricia Allen-Lehman, our Rainbow Health Fair poster woman.

One of my personal goals in life was to be able to help all women empower their lives in every way. Without good health we cannot achieve our dreams. I was so pleased when Liz Latham (Documentary Film Producer and Rainbow Committee member) asked me to participate in this project.

As a side note… I am wearing my mother’s cap and uniform. She was the first African American R.N. in the city of Seattle. She passed away July 26^th, 2011.

Get Active at the Rainbow Health Fair!

Never before has the Rainbow Health Fair hosted exercise activities! This is the year!

The health fair will be held at Seattle Central Community College on Saturday, June 23rd, and so we have much more space available to help you get in touch with new and fun activities and exercises. We will provide a diverse selection of activities to choose from, including:

Zumba!

Zumba is a Latin dance-inspired fitness program. Instructor Jennifer Cepeda http://www.hellosparkfit.com/about/ leads classes at Youngstown Cultural Art Center in West Seattle.

Contra dancing!

Contra dancing refers to several partnered folk dance styles in which couples dance in two facing lines. Lots of fun! Dancing will be led by Seattle Rainbow Contra Dance. They also lead regular dances - be sure to check their website.

Stretching!

Tamara the Trapeze Lady will lead us in stretching exercises. Get ready to twist and turn! She was one of the first trapeze artists in Seattle - leading to a local revival. She has also developed her own style of stretching, gives trapeze classes, and regularly performs.

Nia!

Nia is a sensory-based movement practice that draws from martial arts, dance arts, and healing arts. These classes will be led by a group of Nia teachers, including Deborah Davis, Sarah Love, Jena Hennessey, Randee Fox, and Allison Wright.


Booty Camp!
Booty Camp is a community oriented, holistic, outdoor women's fitness program. Designed for every ability level, Booty Camp helps women feel confident and strong in their bodies.

We hope you find something new to help you de-stress - something to support the overall health of your body, mind, and spirit. Try out free classes at the Rainbow Health Fair to see what these activities are all about!

Are LBTQ women at risk for HIV?

Tonya Rasberry has gotten used to telling her story. As a Peer Advocate for BABES Network-YWCA, it’s her job. She’s gone around to schools and spoken at public events – telling diverse audiences about how she became a woman living with HIV, and what her life is like now.

Last week, Edge magazine published an article about Tonya, highlighting that Tonya was no less at risk for HIV infection, despite the fact she is a lesbian woman of color.

“When Eric and I were together we shared a lot of things,” she continued, “including partners. … I was always attracted to women and of course I wasn’t going to get a complaint out of him when it came to me living a bisexual lifestyle,” she explained. “Not once did I consider the fact that maybe he also had a private life of his own, and no matter what we were doing behind closed doors neither one of us thought we would have HIV/AIDS affect our lives the way it has.”

Many women who have sex with women don’t realize that they are also at risk for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, according to Kim Chronister, M.A., a therapist at AIDS Services Foundation. “According to my research, HIV can potentially be transmitted by exposure of the mucous membrane (i.e., the mouth) to vaginal secretions,” she said. “Also, shared penetrative toys may be a means for transmission of infected vaginal secretions, according to the CDC. In my therapeutic work with women who have sex with women, simple steps that these women can take to lower their risks of being infected may seem obvious, but unfortunately are rarely taken.”

Tonya calls for dialogue among communities of women to address the risk of HIV for LBTQ women: “I believe that just having the conversation about HIV/AIDS in our [lesbian] community is unbelievably crucial, because as long as a sexually active person is talking about those sensitive subjects it will help us alleviate some of the stigma that surrounds this topic.”

On June 23rd, BABES Network-YWCA is joining the YWCA Rainbow Health Fair and will have information on HIV/AIDS and the psycho-social support services they provide. HIV testing will also be provided by Gay City Health Project. Hope you can make it!