Mission In Action

July Focus: Mazzoni Center: Empowering Health for a Lifetime... In Mere Minutes 



This spring, the Komen Philadelphia Affiliate was proud to join our Grantee, Mazzoni Center, for "Speed Date Your Health," a unique health and wellness event, designed to educate and empower - as well as entertain - local women in the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities.

 

Working in partnership with local and national agencies for the event, which was held at the gym 110over70, "Speed Date Your Health" featured a series of experts on topics including fitness, smoking cessation, breast health and more to provide the free guidance that can help individuals live their healthiest.

 

This event, targeted toward lesbian, bisexual, and transgender women, was intended as a way to briefly meet, or "speed date," with health providers to discuss over a dozen issues ranging from breast health to menopause to primary care.  A number of organizations were kind enough to donate items to be raffled off, including tickets to the Philadelphia Independence Women's soccer game and The Sapphire Fund's "Emerge Black and White" Party. The message of this event was clear: get to know providers in your community and learn ways to be your own best healthcare advocate.

 

 

Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference

"Speed Date your Health" was a "warm up" for Mazzoni Center's 9th Annual Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference (PTHC), which followed in early June.  With an attendance of over 1,500 people, PTHC is the largest transgender health conference in the country.  Its attendees included community members, public health and social work professionals, medical providers, researchers, families, friends, and allies. Workshops at the conference ranged in topic from "Chest Show and Tell", where folks got an opportunity to see the work of different surgeons and share experiences, to "How to Work with Adolescent Transgender Clients."  Health messages at the conference included information about the risk of breast/chest cancer in transgender communities. 

 

 

Why This Special Focus?

Lesbian and bisexual women, as well as transgender men and women, may be at higher risk for breast cancer.  One indicator is that certain risk factors for breast cancer such as smoking, alcohol use, obesity, and nulliparity (not having babies) are found at higher rates in these communities.  Special risk for transgender individuals has to do with the use of hormones.  We know that estrogen is a major culprit for breast cancer; therefore, the use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increases risk for transgender women who may be taking estrogen supplements. For transgender men who take testosterone supplements, excess testosterone in the body is converted to estrogen, which again increases risk.

 

Other factors further contribute to the health disparities in these communities.  Due to real or perceived discrimination, individuals in these communities frequently avoid routine medical care and therefore do not receive the routine screenings that lead to early detection and successful treatment of breast cancer. In addition, there is a lack of medical research in these communities.  Without reliable research, it is difficult to substantiate the risks and raise awareness among healthcare providers to encourage routine screening and appropriate standards of care. 

 

Mazzoni Center, a grantee of the Philadelphia Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, works to raise awareness of breast cancer risk among lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals, as well as challenge health disparities in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (LGBTQ) communities in general.  To that end, Mazzoni Center hosts regular events geared toward raising awareness.

 

 

Call to Action

Events are a great way to disseminate information, but they alone will not end health disparities.  It is important for everyone to work toward accessible, affirmative health practices through education, advocacy, and leadership.  The next time you are at the doctor's office, pay attention to the intake forms.  Do they allow for gender descriptors other than male/female?  Does the form ask sexual orientation?  Does the relationship status include signifiers of importance in the LGBTQ communities, such as "partnered"?  This may seem unimportant at first blush, but to many people in the LGBTQ communities, these forms tell them whether they are included or invisible.  Also, pay attention to the materials on display.  Is there patient information geared toward people that are not heterosexual?  Most respective Departments of Public Health now have information geared toward the LGBTQ communities (though, still incredibly lacking in the "T" and the "Q" departments). Healthcare providers and consumers can download information from the internet (make sure you are going to a credible source). It obviously doesn't end here, but it's a place to start.  For more information, contact Mazzoni Center at 215-563-0652 or visit them on the web at www.mazzonicenter.org. 

 

 

Pictured:

After a day on the soccer field, Lianne Sanderson, Philadelphia Independence, scored big in the breast cancer and health awareness arena by joining Mazzoni Center for "Speed Date Your Health."