March 15, 2018

Canada’s largest conference on LGBT2SQ health will bring together over 325 healthcare providers, researchers, policy-makers, community members and advocates.

Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) invites you to join agents of change in LGBT2SQ health and wellness at the largest LGBT2SQ2s health conference in Canada.

The Conference features 3 days of conference programming, packed with over 50 sessions streamed according to 7 themes: clinical practice; public policy, activism and human rights; community support and development; professional education and training; research; organization and systems change; and ethics and law. The Conference itself is preceded by a full day of professional development sessions, called Learning Institutes.

Setting the tone for the conference as the opening speaker, RHO is delighted to welcome keynote Candy Palmater. Candy is an actor, writer, columnist, international speaker, activist, comedian and multiple award-winning TV and radio personality, who has executive produced three films on Mi’kmaw culture.

Most of the Conference is open to the media. Please consult the Conference Program for full session information, and the At-a-Glance Guide for specifics about which sessions are open to the media.

Contact

Colleen Westendorf
Communications Coordinator, Rainbow Health Ontario,
a program of Sherbourne Health
cwestendorf@rainbowhealthontario.ca
416-407-5419

Quick facts

  • Sherbourne Health, including Rainbow Health Ontario, is a partner in Ontario’s Trans Health Expansion project
  • This is Rainbow Health Ontario’s fifth biennial conference; previous conferences have taken place in Ottawa, London, and Toronto, Ontario
  • Rainbow Health Ontario trains health care providers across the province in a range of LGBT2SQ-competency curricula, including on providing assessments and referrals for transition-related surgeries (TRS)

Quotes

“We’re eager to welcome new and returning conference participants to Sudbury to connect, share knowledge, and work together to advance LGBT2SQ health outcomes. We’re also looking forward to hosting this conference in a more Northern Ontario setting; the conference’s planning has been hugely enriched by the contributions, expertise and guidance of our planning committee members local to the Sudbury and Sault St. Marie areas, for which we are very thankful.”

– Devon MacFarlane, Director, Rainbow Health Ontario, a program of Sherbourne Health

“For our fifth RHO Conference, we’re proud to present what we feel is our best offering yet—jam-packed with expert, interdisciplinary presenters from across the province. From the Sudbury location to the unique plenaries, inaugural research agenda-building sessions and the conference’s overall focus on an intersectional approach to health and well-being, we’re anticipating a truly impactful 2018 conference that will nurture momentum for LGBT2SQ health in Ontario.”

– Hazelle Palmer, President & CEO, Sherbourne Health

About Rainbow Health Ontario

Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) is a province-wide program of Sherbourne Health that works to promote the health of Ontario’s LGBT2SQ communities and improve their access to services. RHO creates resources, provides information and consultation services, delivers education and training, and supports research to develop evidence-based practice and informed public policy.

About Sherbourne Health

Sherbourne Health is an urban health agency in downtown Toronto that provides holistic primary care and chronic disease management, mental health services, health promotion and education, and outreach and social supports. Sherbourne’s doors are open to everyone, with a focus on the LGBT2SQ community, homeless and under-housed people, and newcomers to Canada, whose complex needs are often not met by traditional health care. Sherbourne combines high quality clinical care with responsive, culturally appropriate community development programs that bring low-barrier services to people in the surrounding communities who need it most.