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What is the Mazzoni center?

Mazzoni Center is the only health care provider in the Philadelphia region specifically targeting the unique health care needs of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities. Operating with the mission "to provide quality comprehensive health and wellness services in an LGBT-focused environment while preserving the dignity and improving the quality of live of individuals we serve", Mazzoni Center offers a full continuum of primary medical care, behavioral health services, and HIV-related prevention and care services. With over 10,000 individuals benefiting annually from our services, we have proven ourselves to be a leader among community-based organizations in the greater Philadelphia area, and have developed a reputation for excellence and innovation in service delivery to our constituents.

Mazzoni Center was founded in 1979 to provide and advocate for the unique health needs of Philadelphia’s sexual minority communities. With the onset of AIDS in 1981, Mazzoni Center responded by incorporating HIV education, prevention, and care services. In doing so, it became the first AIDS service organization in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the fourth in the country. The organization has remained at the forefront of designing and implementing innovative programs to address the changing needs of the AIDS epidemic, while continuing to develop and expand health and well-being services specific to the needs of the LGBT communities.

Mazzoni Center has been a supporter of the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference since the first conference in 2002. In 2006, the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference officially became a program of Mazzoni Center.

For more information on Mazzoni Center and its programs, go to www.mazzonicenter.org

What is the conference about?

This conference brings together transgender and gender-variant people, partners, allies, family members, and healthcare providers for three days of workshops, keynotes, discussions, and networking.

The first day, Thursday, is Provider's Day. On this day there are workshops that help medical, mental health, and social service providers better understand our perspectives and needs. The last two days, Friday and Saturday, are Community Days which focus on transgender people and our health concerns.

Another feature of the conference includes free health and wellness clinics, including HIV testing; breast, chest, and testicular exams; dental exams; cholesterol and blood pressure screenings; and STD testing. The conference also organizes opening and closing keynotes.

In an effort to have a balance among speakers, speakers who represent some spectrum of the transgender community may be invited to participate. In the past, keynote speeches have been delivered by national, regional and locally recognized transgender authors and activists: Rosalyn Blumenstein, Jessica Xavier, Pat Califia, Aaron Devor, Leslie Feinberg, Earlene Budd, Ben Singer, June Martinez, Eli Clare and Alex Leffers.

Who organizes the conference?

In 2006, PTHC officially became a program of Mazzoni Center, Philadelphia's Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Health and Wellness Center. Mazzoni Center has been a major supporter of PTHC since the first conference in 2002.

While providing institutional support, Mazzoni Center is mindful of maintaining the "grassroots" spirit of the conference, soliciting the input and support of the communities it seeks to serve. To that end, a Planning Committee consisting of a diverse group of transgender and gender-variant activists and allies, have joined together for the sole purpose of overseeing the program development of the conference.

PTHC is committed to encouraging participation in conference planning and workshop delivery by under-represented transgender and gender-variant people, including people of color, working-class people, and people with disabilities.

Who attends the conference?

This conference focuses on the specific issues, needs, and experiences of transgender and gender-variant people with regard to the health of our bodies, lives, and communities. Everyone concerned about these issues is welcome to attend, including but not limited to: members of the transgender and gender variant communities, partners, allies, family members, health-care and social service providers.

Providers may especially want to attend on Thursday for Provider's Day, when the workshops will focus on educating providers about the needs of our communities. Members of the community are also welcome to attend on Thursday.

Community members may have greater interest in attending Friday and Saturday, when we will offer workshops focusing specifically on health needs, related to mind, body, spirit, and community.