Wild Rose Screening Event

To close 2012 with a bang, Women's Health Outreach had a wildly successful mobile screening event at the Wild Rose on December 8th. Sixteen women received free mammograms and Pap tests, twelve of whom were uninsured.

The Swedish mobile van

 

 

 

One of our wonderful mammogram recipients

 

 

 

Our fabulous volunteers

Here's what some of the attendees said about why they came to the screening:

“I think this is a great idea...I love this program.”

“I only have a catastrophic insurance plan. My friend and I were both nervous about getting mammograms. But this is at the Wild Rose, and feels really queer-friendly.”

“I don’t have medical insurance. The quotes I get are $800 a month. This is a wonderful program.”

 

“Health services should be available to everyone, regardless of finances.”

“I’m 40. Mammograms are expensive. But I have a family history of breast cancer, and I thought, ‘I should do this.’”

 

There are many great reasons to get a mammogram, especially considering 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer over the course of her lifetime, and the numbers in LBTQ women are even higher.

The next Wild Rose screening will take place in November of 2013. Look for updates and information on how to sign up in the coming months!

Special thanks to Erika Langley for taking pictures and gathering quotes for us!



Make a Rainbow Donation this February! (And get matched!)

Breast, ovarian and cervical cancers affects hundreds of thousands of women every year. Many of whom are our sisters, mothers, nieces, aunts, grandmothers, friends or loved ones. Unfortunately, most of you know someone who has been affected by these cancers, or who is being affected as we speak. Fortunately, there is a way you can give back to this cause, right now.

YWCA Women’s Health Outreach is a program that provides peer outreach, culturally-sensitive breast health education, no-cost mammograms, and information on additional health services for our diverse community. The program offers no-cost mammograms, pap tests and breast exams for income eligible individuals 40 and over. We serve those with limited incomes who are medically underserved, regardless of sexual orientation and/or gender identity. We also focus our outreach efforts on women from African American, Latina, and LBTQ communities.

Every year to coincide with the Pride festivities, YWCA Women’s Health Outreach organizes a Rainbow Health Fair for members of the LBTQ community. At these health fairs, we make free health resources and education available to a population and community that is all too often overlooked by our healthcare system. This year, we are hoping to make it the biggest and best health fair thus far. But, in order to do that, we need your help!

If this is a cause that interests you, please visit our YWCA Donations webpage: http://www.ywcaworks.org/netcommunity/, and click the “donate” button on the right hand side of the webpage. Once on the donation page, select the designation to be the Health Access Department, and in the comments section of additional information, specify LBTQ Health: Rainbow Health Fair. Note that 100% of your money goes directly to YWCA Women's Health Outreach.

And, in the month of February, donations will be matched dollar for dollar - up to $1,000! Consider a tax deductible gift of $10, $25, $50 or more to support the health of women in the Seattle area!

Thank you and be well.

Old Lesbians Organizing for Change (OLOC) announces July conference

OLOC Presents: 

A Regional Gathering of Old Lesbians

July 28-31, 2011 in Tacoma, WA

The theme is Community • Visibility • Action.

Keynote Speaker: Lillian Faderman

Award-Winning Author and Lesbian Historian

Entertainer: Lucie Blue Tremblay

French-Canadian Singer Songwriter
for registration information and more details,

www.psoloc.org or email us at pnwgathering@psoloc.org

Welcoming Old Lesbians from all over, but especially designed for women from the 

Pacific Northwest.

253-777-3425 (messages)

www.psoloc.org

The 2011 Regional OLOC Gathering will take place at the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Tacoma, WA, July 28 - 31. It is structured similarly to a national OLOC gathering.  The event will begin Thursday evening with a welcome and a special program.  Friday morning kicks off with a keynote speech by award-winning author and lesbian historian Lillian Faderman (www.lillianfaderman.net).

Friday and Saturday will be filled with panel discussions, group discussions, presentations and workshops. Friday evening there will be local entertainers and a dance. Saturday evening there will be a banquet and concert.  Lucie Blue Tremblay will be our entertainer for the evening www.luciebluetremblay.com. The event will continue with a program on Sunday morning and conclude by 1 pm. Come prepared to have a good time, learn, share, reconnect with old friends and make new ones.

Our headquarters will be the LaQuinta Inn & Suites in Tacoma. They have offered us a $99/night plus tax room rate for 1-4 in a room with 2 doubles or a king bed (king rooms also have a sleeper sofa). A continental breakfast is included. To get this rate you MUST CALL to make the reservation. The rates are available several days before and after the event as well.

Small refrigerators and microwaves are standard in king rooms and by special request for doubles. Call 253-383-0146 direct and press 6, front desk. (A word of advice: Don’t press #4 for reservations!) Tell them you are with the OLOC Regional Gathering. Or, call 866-527-1498 day-time (EST) only and reference this number: 0685GRLIFQ. If you ask for a handicap room and they say they’re all booked, clarify that all the handicap rooms are being held for our group.

A modest amount of funds has been raised for the purpose of assisting lesbians who could otherwise not attend the 2011 Regional Gathering. Priority will be given to women from within the region (which is defined as Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and British Columbia) but women from outside that area may be able to get funds to cover registration fees. If you would like to apply, please access the forms at www.psoloc.org.  OLOC will take assistance applications until May 1. Applicants will be notified of the outcome by May 20. These early deadlines will enable you to finalize your plans as early as possible.

Thanks to OLOC for this information.