Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center Partnering With Four Public Libraries on Cervical Cancer Screening Promotion

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Effort is part of a health outreach in public library program through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine

 

Allentown, PA — Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center has announced that it has developed partnerships with four public libraries to promote cervical cancer screenings for LGBT community members. This effort is part of a health outreach in public libraries program through the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.

Through partnerships with the Easton, Bethlehem, Allentown, and Eastern Monroe Public Libraries, Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center will host informational sessions at each library about cervical cancer screenings. Participants can expect to learn what they need to know about cervical cancer, including common causes and screening recommendations, and referrals to welcoming providers.

The session will take place on February 3rd, 10:30am and 6:30pm at Eastern Monroe Public Library;  February 5th, 10:30am and 6:30pm at Allentown Public Library; February 12th,10:30am and 6:30pm at Bethlehem Area Public Library; and February 18th, 1pm and 6:30pm at Easton Area Public Library.

“According to the American Cancer Society, lesbian and bisexual women get less routine cancer screenings than the rest of the population. For transgender or non-binary people assigned female at birth but who do not identify as women, there are frequently fears of healthcare discrimination as well as disassociation with gynecologic body parts.” said Jessica LaPorte, health programs and supportive services manager at Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center.  “The CDC recommends cervical Pap tests for people with cervixes every 3-5 years depending on age and past test results.”

Adrian Shanker, executive director of Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center added  “We know that early detection saves lives. But we also know that LGBT people assigned female at birth are not receiving the preventative screenings needed to detect cancer when treatment is most effective. That’s why we are proud to be able to partner with our local public libraries to educate the community and encourage more frequent screenings for the LGBT population in the Greater Lehigh Valley.”

Developed resources reported in this project are supported by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH) under cooperative agreement number UG4LM012342 with the University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.  An additional component of this project was funded through a grant from the Women’s 5K Classic.

About Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center: (www.bradburysullivancenter.org)

Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center provides arts, health, youth, and pride programs to strengthen and support the LGBT community across the Greater Lehigh Valley.

 

Information Provided By:
Adrian Shanker
Executive Director
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center