The HSE in county Wexford is supporting Pride Month.

The HSE in county Wexford is supporting Pride Month.

June, as Pride month, is dedicated to celebrating Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex or Asexual (LGBTQI+) communities. The HSE is committed to ensuring a cohesive approach towards addressing the health related needs of the LGBTQI+ community across the healthcare services it provides. In addition, the HSE is committed to creating an inclusive workplace, welcoming and supportive of all of its employees. Among the events that HSE/South East Community Healthcare has supported and participated in was the “Let's Talk Mental Health Judgement and LGBTQI+” panel discussion and green ribbon event held recently at the Manor Youth Café in Waterford. The HSE’s South East Regional Suicide Resource Office partnered with See Change and LGBTI+ Projects across the South East to host the event, which was aimed at tackling mental health judgement in the LGBTI+ Community. Among those who addressed the event were Sarah Hearne (Resource Officer for Suicide Prevention with HSE/South East Community Healthcare) and See Change Programmes Leader Barbara Brennan, who facilitated a panel discussion including individuals involved in service delivery who brought their own lived experience of mental health judgement in the LGBTQI+ community. These included Emma Whitty and Sarah Murphy (LGBT+ Project Health Workers, who presented on the LGB Awareness Training module which was developed by SECH LGBT+ Education & Training Sub Group). To conclude the event, a local writer Wayne Power shared his poem “A Place For Us” as a moving tribute for LGBTQI+ rights. One of the features of this event was to provide information on supports and services for those in the LGBTQI+ community in the South East area, in addition to discussing the challenges that many in the LGBTQI+ community face in getting mental health support and what we can all do to help improve mental health and wellbeing.