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“‘It starts with a small portion of the trans health care, and then it later progresses to other areas of our community, where they’re slowly taking away rights,’ said Kiala Emmons, a service navigator at METRO who helps direct patients toward the services they need, or refers them to partner specialists and surgeons.
She said discrimination can cause trans people not to seek care at all. Discrimination includes doctors refusing to use the correct pronouns or referring to a patient by their birth name, often referred to as a ‘dead name’ in the trans community. … [Emmons] said that it’s particularly important for transgender people to be their own patient advocates for care, and to reach out to organizations like METRO or Florida Trans Proud that keep lists of trans-friendly medical providers.”
“The health partners first announced their Tampa expansion in 2019. They acquired the historic Ybor City venue to transform it into a 30,000-square-foot health and community center, breaking ground on the project that year.
‘As a local organization, we have grown alongside Tampa Bay by serving the community’s holistic health needs,’ Metro Inclusive Health CEO Lorraine Langlois shared at the time. ‘Being able to restore and modernize this beautiful piece of local history for the community while expanding our impact fits right in line with our organizational mission.'”
“The mayor says she’s attended several events with the non-profit and feels METRO is a gem in our community, providing primary care to people of all ages. “When you think, quite often, about gay and transgender youth, there is a high degree of depression in those communities, and quite often, individuals who don’t feel like they have any one to turn to. Metro inclusive is that place that everyone, everyone can turn to,” Castor said.
METRO’s Inclusivity Icon flag incorporates various identities within the LGBTQ+ community enclosed in a bracket for ‘inclusivity.'”
Following a year-long review process, Metro Inclusive Health today announced they have achieved national accreditation from the New York-based Council on Accreditation (COA).
Being so impressed with the organization’s practices, COA expedited METRO’s accreditation process. In a letter, COA president and CEO Jody Levinson-Johnson congratulated METRO’s leadership for such an “…amazing achievement.”
“The ‘Stay-In’ LGBTQ+ Youth Camp is being hosted by St. Petersburg nonprofit Metro Inclusive Health. Kids get a colorful box packed with activities, snacks and a shirt.
Virtual ‘campfires’ and ‘cabins’ offer plenty of online chatter and bonding.
Program Specialist Hannah Powell says for all the fun and games, the love and acceptance of the camp is the true magic.”
“The Plus Project invited nonprofits to apply for grants in the $10,000 range through April 30, seeking applicants “that are addressing or plan to address current, emerging and/or unmet needs with regard to the LGBTQ+ community.”
The first round’s recipients were revealed during a virtual presentation, broadcast live via the Community Foundation of Tampa Bay’s Facebook page in a video seen below. Grants were given to Community Tampa Bay, Metro Inclusive Health, Equality Florida, Youth Improvement Services, Empath Partners in Care (EPIC) and the League of Women Voters.”
“PowerOn is helping us fulfill our mission of reaching the diverse population in the Tampa Bay community and beyond,” LGBTQ+ Division Manager Cole Foust says. “These devices will help us create more accessible and engaging programming for LGBTQ+ people of all ages.
“With years of experience serving thousands of individuals in our area, we could not be more pleased to receive this designation by a federal agency,” said METRO CEO Lorraine Langlois. “This fast-tracks our ability to impact even more lives while supporting a healthier Tampa Bay and greater quality of life for all.”
“We have more people coming in now because you have those people that don’t want to wait that 20 minutes,” Prevention Specialist with Metro Inclusive Health Shirlene Manuel said. “They say it lasts a lifetime. The people that we do the blood work on where we have a two day turn around on the blood work also think that’s a lifetime. To get that result in a minute has made more people want to come in and get tested.”
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