The Shenandoah LGBTQ Center in Staunton is hosting three health and wellness fairs in the coming months. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi reports.
Each of the three health fairs is geared towards a specific subpopulation of the LGBTQ community: transgender and nonbinary people; Black, Indigenous, and people of color; and one this Sunday, for people over 55.
Event Director Cole Troxell said that, while most people don't enjoy navigating the healthcare system –
COLE TROXELL: When you're dealing with the LGBTQ community, those needs that each specific person has are oftentimes not accessible in areas such as this, because there is a lack of education, there is a lack of knowledge and the idea that they would need anything different, right? So when we look at these subpopulations, that need grows even larger … it is just an opportunity for us to open the door to our three most vulnerable subpopulations to say hey, we're here, and this is the work that we want to do for you.
There will be about a dozen vendors at the first fair for visitors to meet and ask questions, including mental healthcare providers, chiropractors, and sexual health screeners – and you can get a COVID vaccine or booster there. More information is available on their Facebook page.
