PROJECTS

This page contains various projects, presentations, and resources that I have completed and collaborated on. It includes academic works, group projects, and blogs from my AmeriCorps service.

Note: the blogs below were written as part of my AmeriCorps service with Cherry Health and Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium; the projects and presentations were completed for assignments during my time at Grand Valley State University. I am sharing them here as the author, not the owner, of these works. Projects/resources that were done personally and are owned by me are labeled as such.

Treating TGNB Patients in a Gendered Practice

During my AmeriCorps service, I collaborated with Cherry Health OBGYN and Workforce Development to create a training for OBGYN staff (and CH staff as a whole) to help prepare them for caring for transgender and non-binary patients. With specialties like OBGYN, TGNB patients face more barriers to care due to the historic gendered assumptions on who receives that kind of care.

GR LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium Blogs

Note: these blogs were written as part of my AmeriCorps service with Cherry Health and Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium. I am sharing them here as the author, not the owner, of these works.

Treating the T in LGBTQ+

Assessing Healthcare Workers' Attitudes, Practices, and Readiness to Treat Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming Patients in West Michigan

Capstone research paper surveying 82 patient-facing healthcare workers in the West Michigan area. The goal of the research was to assess workers' cultural competence/knowledge, personal beliefs and biases, and clinical preparedness for caring and treating TGNB (transgender, non-binary, and gender non-conforming) patients, since research has historically focused on LGBTQ+ healthcare as a whole and on hubs like San Francisco and New York.

Treating the T in LGBTQ+ West Michigan Healthcare Workers.pdf

Queering Grand Rapids

How we find and love each other in the Mini Bible Belt: A Zine

As all good things start, this zine came from an assignment for Arly's Identity and Representation in Digital Culture class. An avid member of voids* community, voi wanted to showcase what being queer, gay, trans, non-binary, and not cishet is like in a city surrounded by churches, conservatives, and corn fields.

Pronouns, Culture, and Language

The Growing Use of Gender-Neutral and Neopronouns

Personal presentation

A great majority of people use pronouns, it is part of our daily conversations and is nothing new. Traditionally, the main pronouns have been he/him/his, she/her/hers, and they/them/theirs.

However, due to increased human interaction, language exchanges and growing acceptance of non-cisgender identities, alternative pronouns or neopronouns have grown in use.

Trans_ Healthcare in Michigan (2).pdf

Transgender and Non-Binary Healthcare in Michigan

The Impact of Affordability and Discrimination

As the transgender and non-binary community grows in visibility across the U.S., the need for affordable, comprehensive healthcare has pushed to the forefront of many people’s minds. Michigan is not widely known for its wide LGBTQ+ anti-discriminatory policies or protections, with healthcare being no exception. However, over the years, a growing number of individual providers, clinics, hospitals, non-profits, and activists have pushed for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives and training on how to respect and treat trans* patients. Some of these initiatives are more successful than others, namely those in the Grand Rapids Metropolitan area, though there are still gaps in care and instances of discrimination.

Accessible Healthcare for the Unhoused

A collaborative project done for WGS 491 with 3 other students, we compiled research and resources for best serving the unhoused community in Grand Rapids, MI. Learn more here.

What are Federally Qualified Health Centers?

According to HRSA.gov, "Federally Qualified Health Centers are community-based health care providers that receive funds from the HRSA Health Center Program to provide primary care services in underserved areas. They must meet a stringent set of requirements, including providing care on a sliding fee scale based on ability to pay and operating under a governing board that includes patients. "

Where can I find a FQHC in Grand Rapids?

Below is a list of current clinics in the area with sliding fee scales, financial assistance, and other resources for the un- and underinsured. More information can be found on the linked website about services available.

Catherine's Health Center

Cherry Health (largest FQHC in the area, providing a wide array of services)

U of M- West/Metro Health

Mercy Health

I'm struggling with addiction, where can I get help?

Cherry Health has two outpatient facilities for addiction care and rehab:

Cherry Health Southside Health Center: 2303 Kalamazoo Ave SE Grand Rapids, MI 49507

Cherry Health Heart of the City: 100 Cherry St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49503

I'm part of the LGBTQ+ community, where can I receive safe and accepting care?

The Grand Rapids Pride Center offers the Therapy Assistance Program and Proud to Be Healthy. You can set up an appointment to ask questions, receive assistance and moral support with the center's Proud to Be Healthy coordinator, Leslie Boker, through the link above.

The Grand Rapids LGBTQ+ Healthcare Consortium has an ever-growing list of providers and specialists that accept LGBTQ+ patients; they have received training or experience, or are a part of the community.

Planned Parenthood offers services focused at LGBTQ+ individuals; their office is located at 425 Cherry St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

I'm living with Hepatitis C, HIV, and/or other high risk diseases, where can I get treatment?

Infectious disease services are offered at:

Cherry Street Health Center: 550 Cherry St SE Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Mercy Health Infectious Disease: 310 Lafayette Ave SE Suite 410 Grand Rapids, MI 49503

I'm a student/parent of a student struggling with access to preventative care, what options are there?

Cherry Health and Spectrum Health have collaborated with Grand Rapids Public Schools and MDHHS to promote access to preventative care. Services such as dental, counseling, and medical care are offered at the following schools:

Cedar Springs School Health Center

Innovation Central High School Health Center

Ottawa Hills High School Health Center

Union High School Health Center

I don't have consistent transportation, how can I get to my appointments at low to no cost?

The Rapid has a search tool to plan rides to and from clinics. You can also apply for reduced fair (.85 cents per ride); the form needs to be filled out by you and a licensed professional that can advocate for your qualifying disability.

MDHHS also offers non-emergency transportation to medically necessary services, which is covered by Medicaid. Cherry Health regularly collaborates with these services.

In addition, given the ongoing pandemic, most offices are offering telehealth appointments. Grand Rapids Public Libraries offer free computer use and access to wifi.

Reimagining Public Safety

Reimagining Public Safety in Grand Rapids

Presented at the 2021 GVSU Teach-in, this presentation hosted engaged discussion on what defunding the police actually means and what it would look like in a Grand Rapids context. The goal is to question what the current funds of the GRPD would go towards and how to imagine our city without police presence.

National Coming Out Day

Do's and Don'ts When Someone Comes Out

Personal project presented to AmeriCorps Team

A brief overview on the history of National Coming Out Day, what coming out means, why it's important, and how to be respectful when someone comes out to you.

AmeriCorps National Coming Out Day

BIPOC Trans* Women, the Battle for HIV Healthcare, and How to Be an Allied Provider

WGS 402 BIPOC Trans* Women, the Battle for HIV Healthcare, and How to Be an Allied Provider

Paper from WGS 402, a class focused on the work of feminist visionary and scholar Dorothy Roberts.

WGS 402 Final Intervention Tool

Accompanying presentation to the WGS 402 paper.

Be Trans, Throw Hands: A History of Trans-

The way our language develops over time is variable and impacts how we convey our ideas. We may build on previously existing terms or create new words in order to properly get the point across. Trans- is a rather popular prefix within the English language, originating from the Latin word trans. This paper explores the prefix origin into its modern day usage.

WGS 224 Term Essay Trans.pdf
WGS 200 Analysis Paper_ Gender Neutrality in the Spanish Language.pdf

Gender Neutrality in the Spanish Language

The visibility of gender non-conforming and non-binary folks in recent years has grown the conversation around gender-neutral language, not just in English, but in other languages as well. In gendered languages like Spanish, what does gender-neutral or inclusive language look like? The academic sphere and anarchist activists are taking vastly different approaches from a linguistic standpoint.