World AIDS Day is today December 1st

Today is World AIDS Day! As this year marks the 30^th anniversary of the emergence of AIDS, please consider donating $30 or ($300!) to BABES Network-YWCA today!

Women in the BABES Network are mothers, sisters, grandmothers, daughters, partners and wives who believe that World AIDS Day should be every day.

 

We hope you’ll join us in honoring a woman you know who’s living with HIV or celebrate the memory of someone you have lost by making a gift to BABES today. 

  

This year, due to massive cuts in federal funding, BABES Network lost an overwhelming amount of our yearly budget.  Therefore, gifts from supporters like you are more important than ever for us to continue our work to help women who depend on us for a healthy future.   

Making a gift on World AIDS Day is easy! Simply visit our donation website and designate your gift to BABES.

Please take a moment today to share this message with your family and friends by asking them to “like” us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and donate!

We appreciate your continued support!

Nicole Price

Program Manager, BABES Network

A sisterhood of women facing HIV together

ywca of seattle - king - snohomish

{p} 206.461.4488

{f}  206.720.5901

www.babesnetwork.org

twitter.com/ywBABES 

BABES on Facebook

Facebook event link: https://www.facebook.com/#!/events/264652496917658/

Health Access blog: http://healthaccess-ywca.com/2011/11/30/hear-us-now-make-us-a-priority-women-count/

Don’t forget to RT @samywca @ywBABES @katieywca

Count HIV+ Women In! Can We Count On You?  Want to get involved with the effective communications strategies of PWN? Join their national campaign  “Count Us In!”

LBTQ Health Fair will have a table at CSPC Winter Vendor Fair on Saturday, December 3rd

It is time for the CSPC Winter Vendor Fair and we will be there to talk with folks about the upcoming LBTQ Health Screening at the Wildrose on December 10th from 9am - 3pm.  We look forward to our spring screenings at CSPC that we hold yearly.  The vendor fair is a fabulous, fun and sexy opportunity to check out all kinds of gift ideas for your loved ones.  Stop by, say hi and shop, shop, shop!  

It's the CSPC Winter Vendor Fair!!

Saturday, December 03 12:00 PM - 05:00 PM

CSPC Everywhere, enter main space doors

Open to all 18+$5 suggested donation 

Let's get ready!! Time to SHOP!! It's the CSPC Winter Vendor Fair!!

Rainbow Health Fair wants YOU for new Planning Committee

Rainbow Health Fair Needs You!

Dear Friends in Health:                                                                        
We are excited to be launching a planning committee for the 14th Annual Rainbow Health Fair and would like to invite you to be a member.  If you are passionate about the health and well being of the LBTQ community you are what we are looking for!  Please join us for an inspiring evening of brainstorming as we plan our next Health Fair.

The time commitment will be approximately one meeting a month in January, February, March, April and 2 meetings in May and June.  If you have motivation but not as much time, we still may find you a valuable member of the planning committee.  Access to email will be a plus.

Please join us:
Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 – 6:30pm
OutWest Bar
5401 California Avenue SW
(between Brandon St & Findley St)
Seattle, WA 98136
206-937-1540

Please RSVP to Ingrid at lbthealth@ywcaworks.org.  We look forward to having you be part of this exciting team.

Ps. I think the way the world is going to have a day for people to get medical check- ups  by mostly peer-providers and other information for their overall well-being, is becoming more important than ever. So let’s make the 14th Rainbow Health Fair into an unforgettable event.  Please help spread the word!!

Thank you and be well,
Ingrid berkhout
Program Manager
Women’s Health Outreach
{p} 206.461.4493
{f}  206. 720.5901
1118 Fifth Ave Seattle,  WA  98101
twitter.com/ingridWHO
http://lbtqhealth-ywca.blogspot.com/
give help. get help.
ywcaworks.org

Webcast on Cancer and the LGBT Community - November 17th 9am

Register now for Public Health Live!

Cancer and the LGBT Community: Special Issues and Concerns

Free live webcast - November 17, 2011
9:00 am - 10:00 am - Eastern Time

Click here to register.
All of our webcasts are archived and available for free on our website
two weeks after the live program.

Speakers:
Stephanie Blank, MD
New York University School of Medicine
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Division of Gynecologic Oncology

Cristina Moldow, LMSW
Lesbian Cancer Initiative Coordinator
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender
Community Center of New York City

Approximately 10% of the population is estimated to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT). This population exhibits higher rates of cancer-related morbidity and mortality due to certain risk behaviors, nulliparity, hormone use, changed body image following gender reassignment surgery and decreased access to preventive, screening and therapeutic services. Participants will receive an overview of the barriers to care encountered by members of the LGBT community affected by or at risk for cancer and information and resources to better address these barriers and provide culturally sensitive, appropriate services to this population. 

Download and share the promotional flyer.

Click here to register.
All of our webcasts are archived and available for free on our website
two weeks after the live program.

If you have any questions please contact Sue Brooks at
coned@albany.edu or 518-402-0330.

Thank you!

This program is offered in partnership with: The New York State Department of Health, Bureau of Chronic Disease Control, Cancer Survivorship Initiatives; the University at Albany, School of Public Health; The Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Community Center of New York City; and The National LGBT Cancer Network

Wildrose Breast Cancer Memorial Wall October 7 - 11

We are gearing up for our next mobile mammography screening at the Wildrose on December 10th and are always pleased to see creative ideas that support women and breast health.  Sometimes Facebook says it best as is the case on the WildRose's page.

The Wildrose, Seattle’s premier Lesbian destination venue for over a quarter of a century is currently experiencing some construction. The floor typically used for the DJ booth and dance floor has been overtaken with a false wall which shields the construction activities and allows the joint to stay open for business. A side-effect of this is a huge plywood wall. The ladies at The Wildrose have dreamt up a brilliant use for this wall! Starting tomorrow (Friday, October 7), this wall will become “The Wildrose Breast Cancer Memorial Wall”.

The wall will be painted over in solid pink, and from tomorrow at 6PM until Tuesday (October 11) at close, patrons, Breast Cancer supporters and survivors and everyone in between will be able to come to The Wildrose and contribute to “The Wildrose Breast Cancer Memorial Wall”. Participants can contribute a name of someone precious to them who has passed, a thought relevant to the Breast Cancer struggle, or a note of hope for those immersed in the Breast Cancer battle. It’s all welcome! There will also be a donation box at the wall where people who can afford to can leave donations. On Tuesday at closing time, The Wildrose will collect the box, count the donations, MATCH the donations, and all donations will go to Gilda’s Club.

You would think that would be enough, but that’s not all! After Tuesday, when the deadline for contributions to the wall has come to pass, the wall will be painted over in clear coat in order to preserve what is there. When the walls come down, they will be stored until it’s time for Gay Pride. They will be erected again, perhaps with additional panels, in the famous Wildrose Beer Garden. People will again be able to contribute and add to “The Wildrose Breast Cancer Memorial Wall”. This will become an annual component to the programming of Wildrose’s Pride festivities. Eventually, all of the fencing erected to secure the area that makes up The Wildrose Beer Garden will proudly display this living memorial. The ladies at The Wildrose couldn’t think of a prettier sight.

The American Cancer Society provides Cancer Facts & Figures including Gynecologic Cancer figures as quoted from 2007.  You can find this information at
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/stt/stt_0.asp as well as many Cancer facts on this website.  While a cancer diagnoisis can be scary gathering good information as well as excellent support is vital in the recovery process. 

 Gynecologic Cancer Awareness Month Fact Sheet
                               Commonly Asked Questions

• What are gynecologic cancers?

Gynecologic cancers are the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells
originating in the female reproductive organs, including the cervix, ovaries, uterus,
fallopian tubes, vagina, and vulva.

• What causes gynecologic cancers?

There are many factors that cause gynecologic cancers.  Medical research has
discovered that some classes of genes, called oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes
promote the growth of cancer.     The abnormal function of these genes can be acquired
(e.g., through smoking, aging, environmental influences) or inherited.  Almost all
cervical cancers and some cancers of the vagina and vulva are caused by a virus known
as HPV, or Human Papillomavirus.

• Can gynecologic cancers be prevented?

Screening and self-examinations conducted regularly can result in the detection of
certain types of gynecologic cancers in their earlier stages, when treatment is more
likely to be successful and a complete cure is a possibility.  Diet, exercise, and lifestyle
choices play a significant role in the prevention of cancer.  Additionally, knowledge of
family history can increase the chance of prevention or early diagnosis by determining
if someone may have a gene which makes them susceptible to cancer

• Who should treat gynecologic cancers?

Gynecologic cancers should be treated by a gynecologic oncologist.
A gynecologic oncologist is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist who has an
additional three to four years of specialized training in treating gynecologic cancers
from an American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology-approved program.             This
subspecialty program provides training in the biology and pathology of gynecologic
cancers, as well as in all forms of treatment for these diseases, including surgery,
radiation, chemotherapy and experimental treatments.

• How are gynecologic cancers treated?

Gynecologic cancers are treated by using one or more of the following; surgery,
radiation therapy or chemotherapy . The choice of therapy depends on the type and
stage of the cancer.

• Who is at risk?

Every woman is at risk for developing a gynecologic cancer.      It is estimated that there
will be about78,000 new cases diagnosed and approximately 28,000 deaths from
gynecologic cancers in the United States during 2007.1


 

A supportive environment makes a difference for health care services

We always appreciate feedback from those that attend any of our health screenings or fairs.  We want to make the experience the best possible for the attendees and the providers.  We received this letter from a peer provider that benefitted from the services in an unexpected way. 

I attended the Rainbow Health Fair this Gay Pride in 2011. I was a volunteer in my specialty, and enjoyed reaching out to the public in that way. I also experienced as a first-time presenter the support of a whole community of women who were supporting other women in becoming more healthy, and that was a beautiful thing. For myself, getting a blood sugar test in that supportive environment enabled me to take the news that I was in the early stages (or mild anyhow) of pre-diabetes in a good way, and do something about it. I was told that it was nothing losing 20 pounds couldn't fix, and that I could do it.
I have since intensified my workout at the gym and have lost (8-29, so two months later) 8 pounds and am not done yet. I feel much healthier and I also feel supported by a wonderful community of women who wish me well. The news that my blood sugar was questionable had previously been given to me by a clinic in a way which I did not find supportive or motivating to change or even clear.