Whitman-Walker

The American Community Survey (ACS) is the premier source for information about our country’s changing population, households, and workforce – and a crucial component of American democracy. Efforts are underway at the U.S. Census Bureau to advance responsible and inclusive ACS data collection on underserved communities, including #LGBTQ+ populations. Ensuring that one of our nation’s most impactful surveys accurately reflects the full diversity of our population is critical to shed light on the needs and experiences of these communities, support the advancement of policies to achieve health equity, and better enforce civil rights laws. This blog post was co-written by Caroline Medina, Whitman-Walker Institute’s Director of Policy with Meeta Anand, Senior Director of Census & Data Equity at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. It details the importance of the ongoing efforts to advance data equity by making the ACS more inclusive of underserved communities. https://lnkd.in/eWRKE7jQ #whitmanwalker #whitmanwalkerinstitute #weseeyou #civilrightsorg #sogi #ACS #ACSAwarenessMonth #censuscounts

For this special NBC News feature, reporter Emma C. Davis spent months working on this important story. She received assistance by Whitman-Walker Institute Director Dr. Kellan E. Baker who spoke candidly about how the rise in transgender health care bans is putting providers in the crosshairs. Kellan also connected her to many healthcare providers, all of whom went on the record to provide factual information that made this article possible. Excerpt: Twenty-six states now have restrictions on transgender health care for minors, according to the LGBTQ think tank Movement Advancement Project. The laws have left those still able to provide this type of care, like Dr. Kade Goepferd, struggling to keep up with demand. NBC News spoke to a dozen clinicians in states where gender-affirming care for minors remains legal, from Connecticut to California, and found all are treating transgender youths fleeing bans. Not only does the surge in out-of-state and newly relocated patients create logistical challenges — from waitlists to insurance denials — it also presents a legal risk for health care professionals. Although some states have enacted protections for gender-affirming care providers, these shield laws remain untested in court, and they have done little to deter anti-trans attacks. Many doctors said they’ve had to take added security measures as transphobic rhetoric has intensified. “There’s been a growing awareness over the last year that the environment is only getting more and more dangerous for providers,” said Kellan Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Institute, a nonprofit advancing LGBTQ health care. https://lnkd.in/gPTQeD-V #whitmanwalker #whitmanwalkerinstitute #weseeyou #transgender #LGBTQ

What better way to spend a sunny D.C. summer afternoon than by stopping the All of Us Research Program Journey Exhibit? Pyxis Partners team members Gina Beller, Matt Holzapfel, Noah Haines, and Hailey Waldman, MPH paid a visit to the Journey on Tuesday afternoon, which features interactive stations designed to help visitors of all ages learn about All of Us and precision medicine research. Gina even took the time to enroll as a participant in All of Us, and donate biosamples, which help researchers understand how our health history, genetics, environment, and life experiences impact our health! We’re #PyxisProud to continue building #PathwaystoProgress and connecting All of Us with local communities and organizations around the country, including Whitman-Walker, as we all work collectively to improve healthcare access and affordability for, and elevate the voices of, those historically underrepresented in biomedical research. The Journey will be in downtown D.C. until Aug. 30 at 4 p.m., and then at Whitman-Walker’s Max Robinson Center in Southeast D.C. on Sept. 3-6. To see the full Journey schedule, learn about All of Us and precision medicine research, and sign up for the program, visit https://lnkd.in/e4urzGue. #JoinAllofUs

🚐The All of Us Journey continue their northeast tour with a stop in #WashingtonDC. 🏢Stop by Whitman-Walker at 1525 and say hello to the staff and consider becoming part of one of the largest and richest #biomedical research programs in the world.🔬📊 www.joinallofus.org/drive At Pyxis Partners, we are so proud to be part of this historic effort to gather data from one million or more people living in the #UnitedStates to accelerate research and improve health. #JoinAllofUs #PyxisProud #diversityandinclusion #DEI #researchprogram #diversityinresearch #ResearchOpportunity #Participateinresearch

This week and next, Whitman-Walker is proudly hosting the mobile unit from The National Institutes of Health's (NIH) All of Us initiative. From August 27-30 (at 1525 14th St.) and September 3-6 (at Max Robinson Center), we will host the All of Us Journey, a traveling educational exhibit that brings access to the NIH’s All of Us Research Program into communities across the United States. The Journey features interactive activities, videos, games, quizzes, and more—all designed to demonstrate the power of participation in health research. All of Us is part of NIH’s Precision Medicine Initiative and they are seeking to enroll 1 million people across the U.S. in the largest effort of its kind. Read more about our participation in this The Washington Informer article! https://lnkd.in/gFYGAepg #whitmanwalker #weseeyou #allofus #allofusresearch #NIH

Dr. Kellan Baker represented the Whitman-Walker Institute on the Lavender Law panel on data collection. The discussion highlighted our critical role with government entities like the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the states to ensure that Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) data are collected and used safely, and securely to benefit our patients and communities. #weseeyou #wwinstitute

Whitman-Walker, a leader in LGBTQ+ health care, research, education and policy with special expertise in HIV care, and with its brand-new Max Robinson Center in Congress Heights providing comprehensive health services to everyone in community, will host the “East of the River Fall Festival” on Saturday August 17th from 2:00pm-6:00pm at Sycamore & Oak on the St. Elizabeths East campus in the Congress Heights neighborhood of SE Washinton, DC. The Back-to-School Backpack Drive, Health Fair and Block Party will provide free food and drink, live Go-Go music, kids’ entertainment, school supplies, and community health resources and information, along with HIV and STI testing. All are invited to attend! DATE / TIME: Saturday, August 17th from 2:00pm-6:00pm. LOCATION: Sycamore & Oak 1110 Oak Drive SE Washington, DC 20032 (The party will take place rain or shine at the Sycamore & Oak pavilion on the St. Elizabeths East Campus, next to the Entertainment and Sports Arena.) FEATURING: ·        Live entertainment by Culture Queen ·        Go-Go Music by Sirius Company ·        Music sets by DJ Alex Love ·        Sir Harvey Fitz Spoken Word Poetry Performance ·        Free Food and Drink ·        Backpacks with school supplies for the first 500 kids! ·        Special Giveaways ·        Health and Resources Information Fair Special thanks to sponsor Sycamore & Oak for providing: ·        Carnival style Games ·        Moon Bounce ·        Cotton Candy, Snow Cones, and Popcorn ·        Face Painting ·        Balloon Art Students can receive free Hair Braiding provided by Vaya Beauty. ·        The selection process is as follows: ·        Must be a student, and aged 8-18 ONLY. ·        Hair must be natural, clean, loose and free of objects.  ·        Selections will be made through a raffle. ·        Raffle Tickets will be issued to students on site, and numbers will be called periodically during the event as time allows. More information can be found at: https://lnkd.in/eghuf6R8 #weseeyou

The George Washington University- Milken Institute School of Public Health faculty from the department of epidemiology and Whitman-Walker staff members participated in a practice of the “Enhancing Culturally Responsive Services for Black Gay Men along the HIV Continuum” workshop. The workshop is part of the “Culturally Responsive Intersectional Stigma Prevention” (CRISP) intervention of HPTN 096, designed to stop HIV among Black men who have sex with men (MSM) in the southern US. The purpose of this workshop was to help healthcare facilities create an affirming, supportive, and culturally responsive healthcare environment for Black MSM seeking HIV prevention or treatment services.

We're always proud when Kellan E. Baker, the Executive Director of Whitman-Walker Institute, speaks publicly about the challenges that the #LGBTQ+ community faces on a daily basis - especially as regards health care. Data on sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) are important demographic information that can improve care—when used properly. But when government officials intentionally misuse SOGI data, problems of access and quality cascade. Vital trust erodes. Find out why SOGI data are (and are not) special, why or when officials ignore HIPAA protections of SOGI data, and what happens when SOGI data become a political football. Thank you, Kellan!

We're proud to share this American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) podcast program that features Kevin Semelrath, MD, FACEP, who is Assistant Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Semelrath also serves on the Whitman-Walker Health Board of Directors.   In this podcast conversation, Dr. Semelrath speaks with Dr. Lorado Mhonda about Whitman Walker Health and the services we provide to the DMV LGBTQ+ population. Dr. Mhonda hosts a podcast series focused on social emergency medicine for the American Academy of Emergency Medicine. In this episode, they discuss the history of WWH, how we have evolved over the years, what kind of medical and nonmedical services we provide, and discuss ways for emergency physicians to get involved with WWH and other similar organizations.   https://lnkd.in/ghR8XEie #whitmanwalker #weseeyou #LGBTQ #health