POSTPONED: The Nurses Health Education About LGBT Elders (HEALE) Curriculum workshop has been postponed due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. No new date has been chosen yet.
Area nurses can explore care for aging LGBTQ populations with a workshop at Illinois State University.
Nurses Health Education About LGBT Elders (HEALE) Curriculum workshop will be Thursday, March 26, at the Alumni Center at 1101 N. Main St., Normal. Sessions run from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. The event is free and open to area nurses. Registration is required by emailing OErinRN@gmail.com.
“LGBTQ+ seniors face fear of discrimination, especially daunting when faced with end of life care or residential placement,” said Associate Professor of Nursing O. Erin Reitz of the Mennonite College of Nursing (MCN) at Illinois State University. “To make matters worse many LGBTQ+ seniors do not have children who serve as an extended support system making the disparities they face even more daunting.”
MCN is co-sponsoring the event, along with the Prairie Pride Coalition; Howard Brown Health’s Center for Education, Research, and Advocacy; and Catch-On, a geriatric workforce enhancement program from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration.
Director of Education Cecilia Hardacker of Howard Brown Health in Berwyn, Illinois, will facilitate the curriculum and provide multidisciplinary support for participants with education and best practices. Modules will include barriers to care—including legal and financial challenges—sex and sexuality in older LGBTQ adults, care for aging trans-identified individuals, and HIV and aging.
The workshop can be counted for six continuing education credits, designated through Rush University Medical Center, which is accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).
Those with questions can contact Rachel Maher Marie of Howard Brown Health at rachelm@howardbrown.org.
