2019 CIIP Program Book CIIP Booklet 2019 | Page 17

Community Partner: Chase Brexton LGBT Health Resource Center
Intern: Rohini Verma
Site Supervisor: Kate Bishop
What is the Chase Brexton LGBT Health Resource Center?
Chase Brexton provides compassionate, quality health care that honors diversity, in-
spires wellness, and improves our communities.
As someone who has never worked with the LGBT community before, I came into this internship
nervous and a little bit unsure of myself. I entered CIIP with the clear goal of learning how I can be
a productive ally. I’ve learned a lot, to say the least. I hit the ground running, as my first week began
with preparations for Pride, and ended with me marching in and tabling the festivities – my first Pride
celebration EVER!
I think one of the most important things I have learned is the power of interactions. I’ve learned
so much just from chatting with the Elders at Lunch and Learn events, working at outreach events,
or greeting patients when they first walk into the clinic. I’ve also learned about the importance of
pronouns, the right way to apologize to someone when you mess up, and how powerful making the
effort to come across as accepting and willing to learn is, especially in healthcare. At times, positive
interactions are the only things holding together LGBT community members and their access to
healthcare.
Many of my days were spent on the computer, researching different topics for webinars or presenta-
tions that my supervisor, Kate, was going to give. Although research doesn’t sound like the most fun
thing in the world to some people, I found that it really pushed me to learn about topics which might
have otherwise gone by unnoticed. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about the overlap between Big
Tobacco and the LGBT population, homelessness and LGBT youth, LGBT-targeted substance misuse
prevention, and even how vaping has been affecting LGBT youth. My curiosity even led me to re-
search topics on my own, such as HIV criminalization and the blood donation ban on men who have
sex with men (MSM).
Like I said, I came into this internship shy and unsure of myself. I have to thank the wonderful people
who work with me in the office for helping me come out of my shell. Some of my favorite connec-
tions have been made with my coworkers (special shout out to my co-intern Shay)! Without these
folks, I wouldn’t have had such an unforgettable experience, and the lessons I’ve learned this sum-
mer will stay with me for life.
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• Synthesize research on a variety of
topics relating to the LGBT com-
munity for presentation in webinars
affiliated with the Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Admin-
istration
• Aid in LGBT cultural humility train-
ings for various healthcare provid-
ers around the city as well as new
employees at Chase Brexton
• Facilitate “Lunch and Learn”
events for the elder (50+) popula-
tion of the LGBT community, make
sure resources are up to date for
patients, and attend meetings cen-
tered around pertinent LGBT-relat-
ed issues
• March in the Baltimore Pride Pa-
rade and work at the Pride Festi-
val!