R.U.1.2? Gets Serious   s

About Health

HIV Grant Funds ‘Health & Wellness’ Position

 

BY RIC KASINI KADOUR

.U.l .2? Queer
Community Center in
urlington hired a Health
and Wellness Coor iinator in
March. The new position will
oversee programs that promote
and build community around the
health of gay men, bisexuals,
lesbians, and transgender people.
“What we’re trying to
do is put a lot of focused energy
to creating a community that
cares about the health of the

whole community, but also about
the individuals in the communi-
ty,” said R.U.1 .2? Executive
Director Christopher Kaufman.
The Center will develop pro-
grams addressing HIV, tobacco,
women’s health, and cultural
competency among care
providers.

Health programming at
R.U.l .2? is not completely new.

“We’ve had health care
programming at the center for
pretty much its entire history,
going back to the first year when
the Vermont Diversity Health
Project (VDHP) was started

here,” Kaufman insisted. VDHP
works to identify and train
queer-friendly health care
providers and publishes the
resource guide Our Bodies, Our
Minds.

Last year, the queer
community center took over
VTM4M, an intemet outreach
program that focuses on HIV
prevention. Center staff identi-
fied as “peer outreach workers”
spend time in online communi-
ties and chatrooms to offer infor-
mation and support for men.
R.U.1.2?'also partners with
Vermont CARES to offer HIV

‘‘It’s a new position  The majority of the stuff is

going to be HIV prevention, education, outreach.”

testing.

R.U.1.2? had not taken
a comprehensive approach to
health‘ in the past. Limited
resources and staffing prevented

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out in the mountains

  

the organization from addressing
policy issues, creating partner-
ships with other organizations,
and participating in the larger,
national queer health movement.
In January, the center applied for
and received an HIV—prevention
grant from the Vermont
Department of Health that funds
the Health and Wellness
Coordinator position.

In March, Kaufman
hired Shawn Lipensky (see side-
bar). Lipensky will oversee an
expansion of the center’s pro-

 
   
   
   
  
  
   
  
   
    

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