Healthy Sexual Communication: Supporting patients in building and navigating healthy sexual relationships Workshop

featuring Lodz Joseph-Lemon, CNM

Thursday October 19th, 6-8PM CST

This workshop will provide an overview of general guidelines for engaging in healthy, productive conversations about sexual activity with sexual partners. Comfort levels in discussing sex, emotional safety considerations and suggested topics to address will be covered. Join this workshop virtually on October 19th from 6 to 8 pm central time facilitated by health educator, Aarij Abbas (He/They). This workshop is open to the public. Register here.

How to Support Reproductive Access for Incarcerated and/or Detained People Workshop

featuring Lodz Joseph-Lemon, CNM (she/her) and Stephanie Tillman, CNM (she/her)

This workshop presented a general overview of reproductive access within mass incarceration. Case studies and clinical considerations when taking care of incarcerated and detained people were covered. It was facilitated by Lodz Joseph-Lemon, CNM (she/her) and Stephanie Tillman, CNM (she/her) joined us for Q&A.

Contraceptive Counseling in Abortion Care Workshop

featuring Hanz Dismer, LCSW, MSW, MPH, CSE.

The Contraceptive Counseling in Abortion Care workshop is facilitated by Hanz Dismer (they/them), Director of Psychosocial Services at Hope Clinic. This workshop, on Thursday August 17th from 6-8pm CST, will focus on considerations and strategies for providers delivering contraceptive care and patients interested in learning about trauma-informed contraceptive counseling. Historical context and ethical considerations for the delivery of post-abortion contraception will be explored using intersectional feminist and reproductive justice frameworks.

 Bias, Equity, and Trauma-Informed Practice Workshop

featuring Melissa Irene-Jackson, MSW

Facilitated by Melissa Irene-Jackson, MSW, the Bias, Equity, and Trauma-Informed Practice workshop provided an overview of trauma-informed practice and its key principles across micro, mezzo, and macro practice levels. This workshop was open to anyone who works in healthcare systems seeking to deepen their understanding of trauma-informed practice, intersectionality, and the needs of LGBTQ communities.

Miscarriage Management Workshop

featuring Jen Linhorst, MD

The Miscarriage Management workshop was facilitated by Jen Linhorst, MD and covered the basics of miscarriage management including statistics of early pregnancy loss (EPL), terminology, types of procedures used for miscarriage management, and how to support patients through EPL. This workshop is open to the public but best suited for new learners or those new to the topic of miscarriage management.

Reproductive Justice Advocacy Workshop 

featuring Alyssa Stenson and Lorie Chaiten

Facilitated by Midwest Access Project’s Provider & Community Education Manager, Alyssa Stenson, this workshop discussed the history of reproductive justice and its grounding beliefs. It explained the intersectionality of issues that impact reproductive justice and how to advocate for reproductive justice and policies. The last 40 minutes included a question and answer forum with Lorie Chaiten, Senior Staff Attorney for ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project and Midwest Access Project board member.

Self Managed Abortion Support and Care 

featuring Larada Lee-Wallace, State Campaign Manager for Abortion Access

The virtual workshop, Self Managed Abortion Support and Care, discussed what self-managed abortion is, the various myths surrounding it, and how to increase access. Participants learned the variety of ways that individuals self-manage and self-source medication abortion, and how to support people accessing a self-managed abortion. 

Anti-Racism in Healthcare 

Featuring LaKia Williams, Black Feminist Rants

This public virtual workshop training discussed the history of racism in reproductive health, the current state of reproductive health inequities, and some steps that can be taken to incorporate anti-racism into your own practice. This workshop included the history of reproductive injustices in the United States and discussed associated concepts such as eugenics, genocide, and imperialism. These concepts have strong ties in both historical and contemporary reproductive inequities.

Pregnancy Options Counseling

Featuring Ramey Connelly, Midwest Access Project’s Individual Clinical Training Manager 

This public virtual workshop guided attendees through the process of counseling patients on their options regarding pregnancy; a task that can often be difficult to navigate. Knowing that this process requires compassion, understanding, and nonjudgmental care, this online introductory workshop provided attendees with information on pregnancy options, referrals, and providing assistance when a patient feels ambivalent. A values clarification exercise centered individuals in this important role as providers. 

IUD Insertion and Removal

Featuring Rachel Newhouse, CNM/SANE

Midwest Access Project co-hosted this workshop with West Suburban Family Medicine Residency Program. Using training kits provided by Bayer Pharmaceuticals, attendees of this in-person workshop learned about the safety of intrauterine devices, as well as how to insert and remove these devices in a clinical setting. The workshop taught practical skills on one of the most popular forms of Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs), providing a foundation for future healthcare providers to incorporate this contraception option into their own practice.

Transgender Health and Queer Youth 101

Featuring Melissa-Irene Jackson, M.S.W. and Resident Clinician in Psychotherapy

This workshop was featured in the American Medical Student Association Sexual Health Scholars Program, a program that utilizes virtual sessions to empower future clinicians to manage common sexual concerns and educate their patients on healthy sexuality. MAP Speaker’s Bureau member Melissa-Irene Jackson provided attendees with basic information on the current state of healthcare for transgender individuals and discussed best practices for providing this care in a patient-centered manner.

Options for Self-Managed Abortion

Featuring Dr. April Lockley

Participants learned what self-managed abortion is and the various myths surrounding it. Dr. Lockley discussed the variety of ways that individuals self-manage and self-source medication abortion, and the impact that increasing telehealth access has had on these services. Using her years of experience as a family medicine physician and the medical director for Public Health Solutions’ Sexual and Reproductive Health Centers in Brooklyn, Dr. Lockley guided attendees through this aspect of patient care in a way that considers the many intersections of people’s lives and how they affect their health. This workshop was open to all healthcare professionals committed to patient-centered reproductive health care.

Abortion 101

Featuring Kelly Fitzgerald, DNP, WHNP-BC, Rush University Medical Center

Midwest Access Project joined AMITA Saint Joseph Hospital Family Medicine Residency Program to host an online live Abortion 101 workshop to review the foundational aspects of different abortion procedures and discuss some of the barriers that individuals face when seeking abortion. Attendees gained a foundational understanding of abortion and the context that these services are often delivered in. 

Abortion Care 101

Featuring Kristie Monast, M.Ed. and Rebecca Gieseker, MD

Midwest Access Project joined Chicago Abortion Fund and Northwestern University medical residents to host this introductory level presentation to discuss the foundations of abortion care and share updates about the regional abortion fund landscape. Attendees learned about the many barriers individuals face when seeking abortion.  The concepts and skills discussed in this workshop encourage students to adopt a mindset of understanding and inclusiveness when seeking to provide abortions in their own work.

All Options Contraception and Abortion Care

featuring Tabatha Wells, MD

Midwest Access Project joined the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland to give a presentation on contraception and abortion care. This 2 hour, online presentation was led by Tabatha Wells, MD, a dedicated Family Medicine provider and MAP training alum. This introductory level workshop discussed pregnancy options, different contraceptive methods, and the basics of abortion care. Dr. Wells provided guidelines for counseling patients in a manner that is inclusive, accessible, and revolves around individual needs. MAP is honored to partner in this international opportunity to improve contraceptive options provision and counseling.

Introduction to No-Scalpel Vasectomy

featuring Dr. Grace Shih, assisted by Dr. Christie Miles

This online interactive workshop covered patient screening, counseling, preparation for vasectomy, procedure techniques, and post-operative care.  Participants received a vasectomy kit prior to the event,  which will include gauze, tubing, and vasectomy forceps. The workshop included a hands on simulation activity using the kit, and was open to OB GYN and Family Medicine residents.

Miscarriage Management

featuring Kristie Monast, M.Ed. (she/her)

This session covered the basics of miscarriage management including statistics of early pregnancy loss (EPL), terminology, types of procedures used for miscarriage management, and how to support patients through EPL.  This workshop is best suited for new learners or those new to the topic of miscarriage management. About the presenter: Kristie Monast is a long-time member of the Midwest Access Project family, having previously served as MAP’s Executive Director and Program Director and now an educator in our speaker’s bureau. Kristie began her career as a medical technologist and after earning a Master of Science in Human Sexuality Education from the University of Pennsylvania has continuously worked with the intersection of sexuality education and health care provision. Her experiences include training medical assistants, managing a Planned Parenthood clinic, coordinating a clinical based program for adolescent parents, and with Midwest Access Project overseeing the reproductive health clinical training rotations of over 200 clinicians. Kristie started KM Consulting & Training in 2020 to carry out her dream job of making comprehensive sexuality education and quality sexual and reproductive healthcare available and accessible for everyone.

Contraception Options Counseling for Adolescent Patients

featuring Dr. Rebekah Fenton (she/her) and Dr. Virginia Byron (she/her) 

This online workshop discussed contraceptive options counseling for adolescent patient populations through a reproductive justice lens. The presention defined reproductive justice and the history of the movement, and applied that knowledge to present-day clinical interactions, ending with a question-and-answer portion.  This workshop is ideal for those working with or planning to work with adolescents. About the presenters: Drs. Rebekah Fenton and Virginia Byron are both board-certified pediatricians and adolescent health experts. Dr. Fenton is a second-year adolescent medicine fellow at Lurie Children’s of Chicago. Dr. Byron is an incoming first-year adolescent medicine fellow at Columbia University. 

Care For Every Body: Integrating Gender Inclusive Practices for the Benefit of All Clients

featuring Ray Rachlin of Refuge Midwifery

MAP hosted this workshop in November 2020. MAP received close to 100 registrants from 7 countries, which speaks to the need for this important discussion. The presenter shared research showing that transgender, non-binary, and gender nonconforming patients are more likely to select a midwife for reproductive care. Thus, workshops like this are vital to our midwifery and advance practice clinician (APC) communities. Ray guided participants through common language trans people use to describe their gender and body parts, barriers to care for transgender people including discrimination in healthcare settings, specific open-ended questions to elicit necessary information without stigmatizing or judging the patient, and what to keep in mind while providing different areas of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care including, STI testing and treatment, abortion, options counseling, and more. The biggest takeaway message was clear: patient-centered care is at the heart of quality healthcare, not only for trans patients, but for all patients. This looks like providers encouraging patients to make informed decisions and be active in their own care.

Patient Centered Options Counseling

featuring Amaryllis Hagar, Nurse Practitioner and Midwife

MAP hosted this workshop in December 2020. All options counseling is a key component to abortion care. This introductory workshop covered pregnancy options, information on contraceptive methods and guidelines for contraceptive use, and inclusive, accessible, patient-centered counseling skills. Amaryllis Hager (she/her) believes passionately that all people deserve unbiased and evidence-based reproductive health care in an environment that feels safe. Through the philosophy of shared and informed decision-making, reproductive justice and trauma-informed care, Amaryllis partners with her patients to provide judgment-free, personalized, patient-centered care, without her own agenda. Amaryllis identifies as queer and is committed to serving the LGBTQI+ and gender diverse community, including provision of gender-affirming hormones and reducing barriers to care. Her care is sex-positive, empowering, kink and poly-friendly, fat-positive, free of assumptions and supports harm reduction.