Yale health profession school students played a leading role organizing the Health and Wellness Village at the New Haven Pride celebration, held on September 7 in Downtown New Haven. The Village was intended to bridge the gap between health care providers and historically underrepresented and underserved communities, including those experiencing homelessness, undocumented individuals, and LGBTQ+ populations.
Yale’s Neighborhood Health Project (NHP)—a free, student-run health clinic— and the New Haven Pride Center collaborated on organizing the Village. (NHP’s mission is to provide health screenings and education, as well as improve access to health care for low-income patient populations in the New Haven community.)
During the Pride celebration, a wide range of organizations, businesses, and government agencies provided services and information to community members in the Village, including: NHP/Casa Segura, HAVEN Free Clinic’s Reproductive Health Department, the Yale New Haven Health Mobile Mammography Van, the Center for Community Engagement and Health Equity (Yale Cancer Center), Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), Project Access, and the New Haven Department of Public Health. (See the complete list of health and wellness vendors.)
"Inclusion is not just a value. It's a responsibility," said NHP Director of Community Outreach Ryan Sutherland, MPhil, MPH ’20—a third-year MD student at Yale School of Medicine (YSM) —, who coordinated the inaugural Health and Wellness Village. "The LGBTQ+ community often faces worse health outcomes. Being welcoming isn’t just about opening doors. It’s about meeting patients where they are and creating an environment where they feel comfortable engaging with health care." Sutherland continued, "By partnering with the New Haven Pride Center and bringing together trusted community health care providers, we aimed to foster an inclusive space where everyone felt supported and valued—especially our neighbors who are LGBTQ+, who are experiencing homelessness, and who are undocumented."
NHP summer intern Allie Webster—a second-year MPH student at Yale School of Public Health (YSPH), who helped coordinate the Health and Wellness Village—stated, "The event was a fantastic experience, filled with insightful conversations, valuable health information, and lots of laughter."
The Health and Wellness Village was sponsored by YSM’s Office of Diversity, Inclusion, Community Engagement, and Equity, Office of Student Affairs, and Medical Student Council, as well as YSPH, The Pride Network, and NHP.
For more information about NHP and/or to get involved, go to NHP’s website and/or email NHP.