Provo elementary students can get free health screenings
Provo elementary school students can receive free, optional health screenings through a new initiative.
The initiative, called Kaufusi’s Keikis, is named after Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi and the Hawaiian word for child.
The opt-in preventative health screenings will be conducted under faculty supervision by student doctors with the Noorda College of Osteopathic Medicine and eventually other medical students in the area.
The program said this initiative will be especially beneficial for communities with low incomes.
After an official launch Wednesday, the first health screening fair of the outreach program will be on May 1 at Timpanogos Elementary School. Screenings will include vital signs, basic vision and neurology, among other things.
U of U students protest anti-trans speaker on campus
University of Utah students protested an anti-trans speaker on campus Monday night.
Political writer, Michael Knowles spoke at the University of Utah's College of Social Work on Monday. He has publicly called for the “eradication” of “transgenderism” and his talk was titled “No child is in the wrong body.”
The event was not put on by the university; rather, Knowles was invited to speak by the university’s ‘Young Americans for Freedom’ chapter.
While many students came to listen to Knowles, another crowd of students protested his presence, bearing signs, trans flags and a large flag that said, “trans rights are human rights.”
The event and protest comes after several anti-trans bills, including the colloquially-named trans bathroom bill, were considered and passed by the Utah State Legislature this year.
New statewide domestic and sexual violence hotline for Native Americans
A new statewide domestic and sexual violence helpline is hoping to help Native Americans in Utah to connect with culturally informed advocates.
The helpline was launched Monday by Restoring Ancestral Winds, a Utah nonprofit seeking to end violence in Native communities.
Advocates on the helpline will reportedly be culturally trained and have a list of culturally specific services for shelter, housing and advocacy. The helpline is also free and confidential.
According to the National Violence Against Women Survey, Native Americans experience violence at a greater rate than other U.S. racial or ethnic subgroup. The National Institute of Justice has also found that Native women are also less likely to have access to sexual assault services.
The helpline will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. After-hours calls will be received by the national helpline Strong Hearts. You can call the helpline at 1-833-688-4325.
