The Clinic Goes to the People: Community Care at the 2026 Multicultural Health & Resource Fair
- Dr. Malakai Coté
- Apr 22
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 22
At the Gender Health Center, we believe care doesn’t begin and end within clinic walls. Care lives in the community. It moves with people. It shows up in the spaces where joy, culture, and connection already exist.
That’s why we were proud to participate in the 2026 Multicultural Health & Resource Fair in West Sacramento, hosted at the Center for Spiritual Awareness and supported by Anthem and Sacramento Juneteenth Inc. Among many community-based organizations, we came together to share resources and also offer care in real time.
Showing up with care, not just information
Our team brought services directly to the community. Erick, a volunteer nurse, provided blood pressure screenings and basic health education in both English and Spanish, creating a low-barrier opportunity for folks to check in on their heart health. For many, this was a first step serving as a moment of awareness that can lead to follow-up care with a physician or nurse practitioner. We also offered blood pressure logs so community members could continue tracking their heart health over time.
Heart health matters for all of us, and especially for those living with chronic stress, trauma, and the daily realities of racism, xenophobia, and trans-antagonism. Prevention is relational. It’s about making sure people have access to tools, knowledge, and support in ways that feel accessible, affirming, and culturally relevant.
Alongside these screenings, we offered limpias and plática which are Meso-American Indigenous healing practices for community members seeking culturally grounded care. These offerings were provided with consent, honoring traditions that have long supported healing beyond Western medical frameworks.
We know that culture is also medicine.
Health education, harm reduction, and meeting people where they are
We shared HIV prevention education, including PrEP resources and broader sexual health information. We distributed safer sex supplies, in-home HIV tests, and harm reduction materials, grounding our outreach in evidence-based strategies that reduce the transmission of infectious diseases while respecting people’s autonomy. We also held conversations around overdose prevention, without judgment while also offering practical tools, and reinforcing that every life is worth protecting. This is what it means to provide care that is both immediate and impactful: not just talking about services, but offering tangible resources in the moment.
Joy as a pathway to healing
The day was filled with life!
From the powerful rhythms of Taiko drums to a vibrant Vietnamese fashion show, from line dancing rooted in African American traditions to the simple joy of shared movement, this was a space where healing and celebration lived side by side.
Line dancing, in particular, reminded us how collective movement can synchronize a community and create connection, reduce isolation, and offer joy that is deeply embodied. These moments matter. They are not separate from health as they are essential to it.
Why community outreach matters
Community outreach is not just about visibility or information-sharing.
It’s about:
Building and deepening relationships
Offering care in real time
Reducing barriers to access
Honoring cultural practices and knowledge
Standing alongside community as part of a shared ecosystem
We are part of Sacramento’s rich and diverse cultural tapestry. And we show up knowing that trans people belong everywhere—in every space, every community gathering, every moment of care.
When we take up space to share resources, to listen, to connect, it becomes lifesaving. Not just for queer and trans community members, but for everyone. This is the WE!
Community care is how we heal
Everything we brought to this health fair (e.g., screenings, education, harm reduction, cultural healing, and joy) reflects a simple truth:
Community care, in its aliveness and vibrance offers opportunities to heal.
We’re grateful to have been in community at the Multicultural Health & Resource Fair, and we remain committed to showing up, again and again, with care that is accessible, culturally attuned, and rooted in dignity.
