PKI Presents LGBTQ+ Immigrant Health Support at National Conference

Last week, Anna Talisman, MSW, head of the PKI LGBTQ support program, presented Project Kesher Israel’s collaboration with Clalit Health Services at the Israeli Society for LGBTQ+ Health conference in Caesarea. She highlighted support for Russian- and Ukrainian-speaking LGBTQ+ immigrants arriving from the war in Ukraine.

Drawing on PKI’s needs-assessment surveys, Anna shared how this population often remains invisible in healthcare, facing unique health and mental-health risks including language barriers, domestic violence, and the challenge of rebuilding gendered and personal identity in a new country.

She also outlined how the partnership provides continuous support: psycho-social guidance in Russian, rights navigation, accessible information on LGBTQ-sensitive medical services, direct accompaniment within the healthcare system, and emergency assistance during wartime.

The conference offered a crucial platform to raise awareness among doctors and healthcare professionals about the importance of recognizing and supporting LGBTQ+ immigrants, the community most at risk of being overlooked.