Trans Wellness Initiative (TWI)
A digital hub for trans and gender diverse communities and health care providers who serve them in Alberta.
Created by CBRC
The Trans Wellness Initiative (TWI) was conceptualized from a CBRC health leadership program in Edmonton known as Pivot.
Trans Wellness
Initiative
GBT2Q participants identified a need to address the following:
● Offering community education and system navigation resources,
● Healthcare provider education, and continuing professional development opportunities,
● Establishing connections between community members and inclusive, knowledgeable providers and services
The TWI is the collaborative response to these identified needs, coordinated by CBRC and made possible through the work and support of multiple partners.
The resulting website seeks to provide a place for trans folks to get information and resources about health topics that matter to them – whether about gender affirming gear, sexual health, or navigating surgical pathways. The TWI is also a place where healthcare providers can find guidance and education in providing competent care for trans and nonbinary communities.
Beyond the Website
The TWI is made up of aims to improve the health and wellness of trans and gender diverse communities in Alberta by building community connections, facilitating access to health care services, and fostering capacity for self-advocacy.
The program has several online projects that have manifested from various collaborations:
Affirming Spaces Training
A series of online course modules that offers insight into affirming health care practices for health care providers in Alberta. The training is administered by a collection of healthcare practitioners, researchers, activists, community members, professors, and sexual health educators. The three modules include the following topics:
Affirming Spaces 100: Introduction to Intersectionality, Inclusive Language, & 2SLGBTQ+ Terminology
Learning Objective: Define core 2SLGBTQ+ terminology, recognize the importance and benefits of creating affirming spaces, and incorporate foundational concepts surrounding intersectionality, gender and sexual identity, and privilege into their work and personal lives.
Affirming Spaces 200: Creating Affirming Health Care Settings
Learning Objective: Become familiar with existing affirming spaces resources in Alberta, develop an understanding of existing research and academic rationale for best practices, and be able to identify concrete processes and tools to promote affirming spaces within their organization.
Affirming Spaces 300: Intersections of Identity and 2SLGBTQ+ Community Perspectives on Affirming Spaces
Learning Objective: Participants will be introduced to the unique experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ community professionals and members who occupy intersecting identities and their navigation of health systems, the nonprofit sector, and community spaces. Participants will become familiar with key considerations for promoting affirming spaces that adhere to a patient and family-centred care model.
Directory
The Trans Wellness Initiative Directory improves access to quality, affirming care by connecting Albertan community members with providers who suit their needs. Providers can list their services on the directory upon submitting an application and agreeing to a list of affirming health care practices that they commit to fostering.
Primary Care Toolkit
A printable document that trans and gender nonconforming people can bring with them into the doctor’s office to provide practitioners with links to resources (through either a scannable QR code or URL) on how to offer affirming care and further reading on best practices.
The Alberta Trans Health Network
Comprised of health care providers and community-based organization representatives whose work pertains to trans and non-binary health.
The Network facilitates direct connections between health care providers and community-based organizations representatives. CBRC strives to expand the network to include community members at large to promote a more formal line of communication between trans and gender non-conforming community members and service providers. Expansion will also involve engaging health care providers from fields and disciplines that aren’t currently involved in the network, including pharmacists, mental health professionals, psychologists / psychiatrists, academics, and individuals who occupy leadership roles within broader health care settings.
Zine - “TRANSlations: Navigating HRT Access in Alberta”
The zine comprises a small collection of community testimonials and poetry illuminating the diverse experiences of twelve 2SLGBTQ+ community members and their navigation of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) access in Alberta. The project was designed to provide a basic overview of what the path to HRT might look like from a community, self-advocacy, and resiliency perspective.
Collaboration & Engagement
The Trans Wellness Initiative is a collabortive effort that involves working alongside Alberta-based healthcare practitioners, researchers, activists, community members, university professors, and sexual health educators.
Promotion is led by members of the Alberta Trans Health Network - who are encouraged to invite professionals with a stake in trans health to join, engage with the online resources, and apply to be listed as an affirming provider. TWI also regularly offers consultation opportunities to trans and gender diverse community members to inform future projects and training initiatives.
Resources Required
Human Resources
1 Regional Manager (supervision)
2 Regional Development Coordinators
4 Production Logistics Coordinators
10-20 Collaborators (health care providers, organizational representatives, guest presenters etc.)
Material & Promotional Resources
Graphic design
Printing (including posters)
Shipping
Toolkit Development
Financial Resources
Human Resources: approx. $70k/year
Material Resources: approx. $1k/year
Other: approx. $5k/year (honoraria for presenters/collaborators, online training production, copy editing)
Challenges
Project supervision from CBRC identified several barriers associated with the TWI program delivery:
More consistent community consultations involving local trans and gender diverse communities would have improved the TWI’s alignment with expressed community needs. While it is notable that the concept derived from community members within CBRC’s health leadership programming, broadened consultation would better inform the project.
In a challenge familiar to the pandemic, recording presentations over zoom rather than professionally and in-person greatly reduced quality. In future sessions, CBRC will arrange for presenters to record sessions locally rather than over wi-fi.
Extra staff members to support the various TWI projects would have been very helpful in improving the impact of the work.
Successes
Demand for online learning through Affirming Spaces is encouragingly strong - with 400 registered students since its launch in March, 2021. Of the roughly 100 students who successfully completed the course and filled out an evaluation, 94% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed to the following statement:
I now have a thorough understanding of affirming health care considerations and practices and intend to adapt them into my health care practice to better serve trans and gender diverse people.
For further information, please contact:
Spencer Belanger
Prairies Regional Manager, CBRC
spencer.belanger@cbrc.net
403-835-3996
Calgary, AB