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2022
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In March 2019, Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario) introduced a new overarching policy for breast and cervical cancer screening for Trans people (updated March 2022), providing clarity about who is eligible for screening through the Ontario Breast Screening Program (OBSP) and Ontario Cervical Screening Program (OCSP) and outlining steps that can be taken to reduce emotional and physical discomfort for Transgender and Non-binary people during the screening process. 

On Friday, June 17, 2022, we presented a special webinar about how organizations can use these tools to make cancer screening more accessible to  Transgender and Nonbinary clients and community members. Dr. Ed Kucharski, primary care clinician and Chair of the steering committee that oversaw the policy’s development, presented an overview of the new guidelines. Celeste Turner and Michelle Hurtubise, two leaders in 2SLGBTQ+ health equity within the Alliance, share their perspectives on how to advance health equity for gender diverse populations: Celeste as a front-line care provider, and Michelle as an executive leader at a member organization. Celeste spoke about the importance of - and strategies for - creating an environment that's genuinely safe and accessible for Trans and Nonbinary clients. Michelle shared how the Alliance is working towards updated data standards that will allow eligible clients to be correctly identified regardless of their gender or assigned sex at birth, and how you can get involved.

The webinar was recorded and can be watched below. You can also access the slide deck, which contains links to numerous helpful resources, here.

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#Additional resources

The slide deck linked above contains links to a number of resources that were mentioned within the webinar. Here are a few of them:

 Our presenters have kindly agreed to share their email addresses for follow-up questions.

  • For questions about the new guidelines and implementation considerations, contact PrimaryCareInquiries@OntarioHealth.ca or email Dr. Kucharski directly at ekucharski@caseyhouse.ca.
  • For questions about creating safer spaces for Trans- and Non-Binary clients, why Rainbow Stickers alone aren't enough, and the work of the Alliance's 2SLGBTQ+ Health Equity Committee, contact Celeste at CTurner@nfchc.ca.
  • For questions about how you can advocate for gender-affirming EMR data standards, contact Michelle at MHurtubise@CentretownCHC.org.

#Presenter Biographies

Dr. Ed Kucharski is the Chief Medical Officer at Casey House and a physician at the South East Toronto Family Health Team. He is one of the authors of the new screening guidelines.

Celeste Turner is an LGBTQ+ support coordinator at the Niagara Falls Community Health Centre (NFCHC) and chair of the 2SLGBTQ+ Health Committee at the Alliance for Healthier Communities. They are also a community educator on sexual and gender diversity, offering free training for businesses, groups, and agencies through the NFCHC. In 2019, they were a recipient of the YMCA Peace Award for Youth.

Michelle Hurtubise is the Executive Director of Centretown Community Health Centre (CCHC) in Ottawa. She is a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ Health Committee and the Information Management Committee at the Alliance for Healthier Communities. She has more than 30 years of experience working with community-based health and social services and is a forceful advocate for increasing access to services for 2SLGBTQ+ people and other marginalized people.

#Co-Sponsors and Partners

This webinar is co-sponsored by  Ontario Health and the member organizations of the Primary Care Council: The Alliance for Healthier Communities, the Indigenous Primary Health Care Council (IPHCC), the Nurse Practitioner Led Cllinics Association (NPLCA), and the Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario (AFHTO). 

Logo: Indigenous Primary Health Care CouncilLogo: Nurse Practitioner Led Clinic Association

Logo: Association of Family Health Teams of Ontario Logo: Ontario Health