IDEAS

Hospitalists and OUTMed Celebrate Pride at St. Louis Pridefest

OUTmed, an organization supported by the Department of Medicine, aims to advance the rights and well-being of the LGBTQIA+ community. It fosters an inclusive environment for faculty, trainees, residents, students, staff, and allies from the School of Medicine and Barnes Jewish Hospital. The director of OUTMed is Hospitalist Tony Dao, MD. Additionally, every year, OUTMed and the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Allyship, and Social Justice (IDEAS) committees from the Division of Hospital Medicine and the Department of Medicine collaborate to host a booth at the 2024 St. Louis PrideFest and participate in the parade. The Department of Medicine proudly acted as a Dignity corporate sponsor for PrideFest, which is the largest annual Pride festival in St. Louis, dedicated to promoting safety and support for LGBTQIA individuals for over three decades. This year, OUTMed, in conjunction with several hospitalists, ran an educational booth at PrideFest, focusing on teaching the community about using Narcan to prevent opioid overdose. They also took part in the Pride parade.