Mautner Project
Encyclopedia
Mautner Project is a national organization in the United States
dedicated to improving the health of lesbians and other women who partner with women (WPW). It was founded in 1990 and is based in Washington, D.C. It provides direct services, engages in community outreach and health education campaigns, trains health care professionals to deliver culturally competent care, and raises awareness of lesbian and WPW health issues.
“Mautner Project is committed to improving the health of women who partner with women including lesbian
, bisexual and transgender
individuals, through direct and support services, education and advocacy.”
Vision:
"Mautner Project envisions a health care system that is respectful of and accessible to all without regard for their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Our vision is a society in which all individuals are empowered with the knowledge to utilize these resources and to make appropriate choices for themselves."
The Removing the Barriers (RTB) Program is a training program designed to educate and bring awareness to health care providers about the health care needs of WPW.
S.H.E. Circle is the first national health education program focused on African American WPW. The local S.H.E. Circles are information networks where African American lesbian and bisexual women learn about health issues, ask questions, share information, connect with resources, and provide support to each other.
Mautner Project also provides health information to consumers and raises awareness of lesbian and WPW health issues via its website, information requests, and participation in community events.
Mautner Project has engaged in the following collaborations:
In September 2009, Mautner Project was asked by the White House
to send a client to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama
during President Barack Obama
's September 9 address to a joint session of Congress regarding health care reform. )
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
dedicated to improving the health of lesbians and other women who partner with women (WPW). It was founded in 1990 and is based in Washington, D.C. It provides direct services, engages in community outreach and health education campaigns, trains health care professionals to deliver culturally competent care, and raises awareness of lesbian and WPW health issues.
Mission statement and vision
Mission:“Mautner Project is committed to improving the health of women who partner with women including lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
individuals, through direct and support services, education and advocacy.”
Vision:
"Mautner Project envisions a health care system that is respectful of and accessible to all without regard for their sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. Our vision is a society in which all individuals are empowered with the knowledge to utilize these resources and to make appropriate choices for themselves."
Programs and services
The Client Services program coordinates resources for lesbians and WPW facing illness. Mautner Project assists clients with finding culturally competent health care, accessing care, and identifying support resources. Mautner Project also provides direct services to clients such as transportation to doctors appointments, and facilitates support groups for WPW facing illness, the death of a loved one, or caregiving.The Removing the Barriers (RTB) Program is a training program designed to educate and bring awareness to health care providers about the health care needs of WPW.
S.H.E. Circle is the first national health education program focused on African American WPW. The local S.H.E. Circles are information networks where African American lesbian and bisexual women learn about health issues, ask questions, share information, connect with resources, and provide support to each other.
Mautner Project also provides health information to consumers and raises awareness of lesbian and WPW health issues via its website, information requests, and participation in community events.
History
Mautner Project was founded in 1990 following the death of Mary-Helen Mautner in 1989 of breast cancer. Shortly before her death, Mary-Helen asked her partner, Susan Hester, to start an organization that could help other lesbians facing the overwhelming challenges of life-threatening illnesses.Mautner Project has engaged in the following collaborations:
- National Lesbian-Feminist Health Coalition projects (founded and facilitated)
- National Breast Cancer CoalitionNational Breast Cancer CoalitionOn September 20, 2010, the National Breast Cancer Coalition , a grassroots advocacy organization that seeks to improve public policies surrounding breast cancer research, diagnosis and treatment, launched Breast Cancer Deadline 2020, a call to action for policymakers, researchers, breast cancer...
(co-founded, serves on board)
- Trainings for the Centers for Disease Control and PreventionCenters for Disease Control and PreventionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services headquartered in Druid Hills, unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, in Greater Atlanta...
(CDC) and other agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on culturally competent care for lesbians, bisexual and transgender women
- HEALING WORKS!: The National Conference on Lesbians and Cancer (founded and organized)
- Coming Out Of Cancer: Voices From The Lesbian Cancer Epidemic (Partnered with more than one hundred health organizations across the country to raise awareness of LGBT concerns related to cancer
- National Policy Roundtable
- Lesbian Kisses (partnered with Mazzoni Center and The SafeGuards Project)
- LGBTQ-NS Campaign (leading collaboration within the DC TabaccoFreeFamilies Campaign)--smoking cessation campaign designed to engage LGBTQ community members.
In September 2009, Mautner Project was asked by the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
to send a client to sit with First Lady Michelle Obama
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama, and is the first African-American First Lady of the United States...
during President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
's September 9 address to a joint session of Congress regarding health care reform. )
Community partnerships
Mautner Project has formed multiple community partnerships to fulfill their mission. These partnerships include (but are not limited to):- DC Vote (since January 11, 2001)
- Capital Pride
- American Cancer SocietyAmerican Cancer SocietyThe American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...