Request For Proposals 

The conference planning committee is no longer accepting proposals to present at the 2SLGBTQ+ Meaningful Care Conference. Information about the proposal process is available below.

The 2024 Conference theme is Surviving and Thriving: Beyond Resilience. Proposals must be submitted by the end of the day on Sunday, December 31st, 2023. You can submit a proposal at this link.

Apply to Present

To increase the accessibility of the application process, we have created a community-facing form, with slightly modified language. You are welcome to choose the form that feels right to you! This won’t affect whether you are chosen to present at the conference.

The 2024 Meaningful Care Conference is the effort of a group of 2SLGBTQ+ focused community programs and individuals who have joined together to promote cultural competency for healthcare and social service providers working with members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community. It is the intention that the knowledge shared at this conference  will improve health care provision, utilization, satisfaction, and outcomes for 2SLGBTQ+ consumers through expanding access to culturally competent care. 

The conference continues to be one of the largest 2SLGBTQ+ cultural competency trainings for medical and social service providers on the West Coast, with over 400 attendees biannually.  The 2024 Meaningful Care Conference is coordinated by a community-based partnership of agencies and individuals serving 2SLGBTQ+ communities. 

The 2024 Meaningful Care Conference is Wednesday, March 27, 2024 in Portland, Oregon.

The day-long conference seeks to:

• Promote lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, Two Spirit + cultural competency in health care and social services

• Share updated best practice applications of LGBTQ2S+ cultural competency in health care

• Develop and diversify networks of LGBTQ2S+ culturally competent health care and social service providers

• Provide a space for community and resiliency while empowering community to advocate and influence policy

Attendees will include medical care, social service, and allied health providers; city and county health officials; students of healthcare and social services; and a diverse array of 2SLGBTQ+ community members. We are seeking a variety of beginning, intermediate, and advanced-level presentations and workshops.

Presentations should relate to the 2024 Conference Theme: Surviving and Thriving: Beyond Resilience.

Special consideration will be given to presentations that focus on one of the following topics:

• Creating safe and welcoming environments for 2SLGBTQIA+ patients & clients, particularly transgender individuals

• Culturally-specific care

• Considering intersectional identities

• Diversity and representation in healthcare & service organizations

• Activism, allyship, and advocacy

• Understanding rights and legislation

• Making changes in legislation and within communities

• De-escalation and self-defense

• Community and partnerships

• Leadership and mentorship

• Grassroots organizing

• Building partnerships

• Mutual aid & collective care

• Gender-affirming care

• Gender-affirming hormone therapies and surgeries

• Mental and behavioral gender-affirming care

• How to counsel patients

• Multi-generational, inter-generational, and life span approaches

  • Youth-led, elder-guided

  • Accessible care for queer trans youth and older adults

  • Addressing specific needs of queer trans older adults

  • Dispelling myths around gender-affirming care for youth

• Supporting culturally-specific individuals and communities

• Supporting rural & non-urban communities               

Criteria for rating proposals include: 

• Intent is clear

• Learning objectives are achievable

• Presentation style supports integration of information into healthcare and social service settings

• Content relates to conference goals and is applicable in a variety of cultural settings

• Proposal addresses the diversity of LGBTQ2S+ community and related health care concerns

Session formats may include lectures, panel presentations, roundtable discussions, and interactive workshops. In addition to 15 - 20 minute panel presentations,  45 minute, 60 minute, 90 minute sessions are being considered. Some sessions may be scheduled to repeat, once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Conference fees will be waived for presenters. Deadline for proposal submission is Sunday, December 31st, 2023.

Please contact Rachel Greim at rgreim@orpca.org or 971-373-5365 (call or text), with any questions regarding proposal submission. 

*Language is nuanced and the planning committee acknowledges that the acronym 2SLGBTQ+ is limiting as language and identity continues to evolve.  By adding a + symbol we hope to be inclusive of all terms one may use to self-identify.  Beginning in 2020, the committee chose to include Two Spirit to elevate Native American Indian/Alaska Native voices and recognize the systematic erasure of non-binary identity from Tribal communities.

Note

The planning committee acknowledges that discrimination and bias impact patient engagement in care and encourages those submitting proposals to review the resources at the National LGBT Health Education Center at Fenway. For more information, please see the National LGBT Health Education Center’s website and links listed below.

• Understanding the Health Needs of LGBT People

• Structural Stigma and the Health of LGB Populations

• Implicit Bias Guide

• Project Implicit