Dear Wellness Community,
Oh how I love this time of year – the spring bulbs blooming, trees flowering, life coming back from what was dormant, and the planting of new seeds. I hope we are all feeling some of this – renewal of life – as we move out of winter and Covid loosens its grip a bit.
This April we also have the convergence of three significant religious holidays of Ramadan, Passover, and Easter. “Holidays about rescue, renewal, and reflection. Stories about the parting of seas, for a people to escape slavery; a great soul rising; and fasting and long nights of prayer to remind ourselves of the preciousness of life,” Scott Simon, NPR Weekend Edition. These traditions, together with the celebrations of spring, Earth Day, Persian and Sikh New Year, help remind us to make time for quiet contemplation, sacrifice, service, community and joyful celebration. The renewed connection, gratitude and hope that these traditions and activities inspire – help us hold the suffering in the world – past and present – with a commitment to ease the suffering of others.
In this edition, I hope you will find inspiration for renewal and coming together to support and celebrate one another, the season, and for some of you the approach of the end of your training here. In this regard, the Wellness Team is excited to announce an upcoming GME Wellness Event – our much beloved Theo’s Chocolate Factory tour is returning – with two tour dates (see below for details).
Lastly, this month is also National Poetry month – so I will leave you with a link to a poem by Joy Harjo – Remember.
Be well and take good care of yourselves and each other.
This week’s Wellness Corner authored by:
Patty Long-Brohm, LICSW
GME Wellness Counselor
Monday – Wednesday at Seattle Children’s Hospital
pattylb@uw.edu
GME Wellness Counseling
Contents
GME Wellness Event: Theo Chocolate Factory Tour
Join us for one of our most popular Wellness Events – a tour of Theo’s Chocolate Factory in Fremont! There will be plenty of free samples, you will learn all about the process of making chocolate, and you will be able to buy as many additional tasty treats as desired!
We are offering two tours this spring. Saturday, May 7th or Saturday, June 4th. Registration is first come and will fill quickly, so register now! Details and Registration here!
The tour lasts one hour and begins promptly at 12:00pm, so plan for time to park (there should be 2hr free parking nearby) and to meet in the lobby by 11:45am to get your stylish hair and beard nets, meet others, and take a photo (of course!)
Earth Day Events
- Living Earth Festival: Saving Sacred Spaces April 22 – May 15. Presentations and film exploring issues impacting sacred spaces. Focusing on innovations and sustainability in Indigenous communities. Available on demand from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian.
- Get outside for a hike or stroll on April 22nd and enjoy FREE entrance to all Washington State Parks! Check out this interactive map of all state parks.
- Volunteer at a local park on Saturday, April 23rd at Washington Park Arboretum 9-12:30p or at Dany Woo Community Garden in the ID at 10a. Both requesting registration!
- Check out other Earth Day activities and volunteer opportunities in Seattle, Sammamish and Tacoma!
Climate Change and Social Justice: How Heat Inequity Leads to Health Inequity
- The UW-NURF Diversity Lecture Series Presents: Climate Change and Social Justice: How Heat Inequity Leads to Health Inequity on May 2, 2022 from 7PM-8PM PST.
- Climate change impacts almost every facet of human health, and children are most vulnerable to the adverse health outcomes of climate change. Historically marginalized populations- primarily BIPOC- have been pushed onto less productive and more degraded lands for generations. As a result, these communities bear a disproportionate burden of climate change and related health outcomes. This presentation will focus on how systemic oppression against indigenous communities in the WWAMI region and BIPOC communities in Seattle has led to inequitable exposure to rising temperatures, directly causing health inequity.
- All are welcome! Please register for the event and attend via Zoom
Did you know? Resources:
- Thank you Dr. Jamie Wright, PGY1 IM, for sharing a wonderful resource: the Disability Mutual Mentorship Program through Stanford – open to physicians (including residents and fellows) across the country. The program offers mentorship and monthly meetings. Dr. Wright has graciously offered to answer questions (jmw21@uw.edu). There is still time to join the April monthly meeting, April 20th from 5:30-7PM. Details and registration!
- You can also join the Stanford Conference for Disability in Healthcare and Medicine online on April 22nd.
- GME updates: Lactation Rooms (expansion) and Parent Support. Check out these resources and updates!
- Things They Carry Project – FREE writing workshops to help healthcare workers and first responders process traumatic memories and make sense of their experiences. Read Washington Post article about the project.
Seattle International Film Festival
Don’t miss the 48th Annual Festival (thanks Joe)! Hybrid event through April 24th. Check out this year’s NW film collection and review from Crosscut.
Tulip Festival!
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival running until the end of the month! See Brochure for details.
Yoga with Goats
What could be more fun! May 4th, 12-1pm, at Harborview! FREE! Sponsored by Whole U. Register!
Black Lives Matter
- Don’t miss Sony Renee Taylor, author of the must read The Body is Not an Apology: The Radical Power of Self-Love, in conversation with Ijeoma Oluo at the Lanston Hughes Performing Arts Institute. Hybrid event – Monday, May 2nd at 7:30pm. More details and tickets Here!
- If you missed the April 1st webinar “Blackface the Problem with Intention” with Dr. Ayanna Thompson and the Office of Healthcare Equity, check it out! Along with these educational resources about Blackface – curated by the UW Office of Healthcare Equity.
- Seattle Arts and Lectures presents author Natalie Baszile, as she discusses her newest work – We Are Each Other’s Harvest – “exploring the lives of Black farmers today: why they continue to farm despite systemic discrimination and land loss, how they are building on the legacy of their ancestors, and the challenges they face in seeking to redress food justice, food sovereignty, and reparations.” Hybrid event, Thursday May 5th, 7:30PM.
Parent Corner
- Julia Kuo, partner of Albert Lee (PGY4, Clinical Informatics Fellow), recently released her book Let’s Do Everything and Nothing – a beautiful story of mother and daughter exploring the world. Be sure to check it out this review, along with Julia’s blog post “Will I Ever Know I’m Ready for Kids?” Thank you Julia for letting us share your incredible work!
- Seattle’s Pacific Science Center presents Dinos Alive – with over 80 life-sized animated dinosaurs!
- Parenting with Presence Podcast with Dan Siegel, PhD – author of many amazing books including Parenting from the Inside Out.
Mindfulness Minute
- Join Dr. Arielle Schwartz for Vagus Nerve Yoga: Travelling Light – finding a sense of safety and home in the body. Free on YouTube!
- Taking Breaks is Good for Your Brain – Here’s Why. Don’t miss this Right as Rain article with insights from our very own Wellness counselor, Julia Kocian!
- Check out the new podcast: Future Tripping, from Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, the author of Trauma Stewardship, for intimate conversations with guests regarding managing overwhelm and skills for sustaining ourselves and contributing to the change we want to see.
- Reminder, if you missed Laura’s Trauma Stewardship Institute workshop last month, you can attend the next one on June 21th, 4-6 pm. Register Here!
Wellness Corner Quick Links
Entertainment
- 2021 Latin GRAMMY winner and “one of the greatest guitarists in the world today,” Yamandu Costa, at Benaroya Hall, Wednesday, April 27th at 7:30pm.
- Not to miss! Van Gogh The Immersive Experience – running through July in Sodo! (Thank you Dipti for the suggestion!)
- NW Spring Art and Fine Craft Show presented by the NW Art Alliance – April 23rd-24th at Magnuson Park.
- And for the foodies (thanks Julia): catch The Splendid Table Live with Francis Lam – Friday April 29th, 7pm, Benaroya Hall. Celebrating the intersection of food and life – with guests from the region’s culinary community! Details and Tickets!
Gems from Treasure Valley
- The Farmer’s Markets are back! Check out the listing here!
- Earth Day volunteer opportunity – Boise River Clean-Up – April 23rd 10am-12pm. Help take care of the heart of the Treasure Valley Community!
- Join the family friendly Earth Day Celebration at the Boise Watershed with music, hands-on activities, science and solutions! April 23rd, 1am-2pm.
- Another Earth Day weekend event, April 22nd-23rd: Shade City Brewfest at the Idaho Botanical Gardens! Sharing beer, space, and sustainable business practices and ideas!
- Lastly, if live music is what you are looking for, check out the listing here!
Got Feedback for Us?
We’d love to hear it! Share your thoughts about the Wellness Corner, suggestions for future events, discounts or articles to highlight, or anything else you’d like to share. Please email your thoughts to Dipti Chrastka (diptic@uw.edu), Julia Kocian (jkocian@uw.edu) and/or Patty Long-Brohm (pattylb@uw.edu).