First Lady Pool Reports of January 22, 2021

FLOTUS pool report #1

Good afternoon!

I'll be your print pooler today for the FLOTUS visit to Whitman Walker Health, a D.C. based clinic with a history of serving the HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ communities. We're currently loaded the vans, but no sighting of FLOTUS and we haven't yet departed.

Per public guidance, FLOTUS is headed to Whitman Walker to "highlight and promote support services for cancer patients and caregivers, as well as hear about the impact of COVID-19 on access to health care, including cancer screenings and prevention efforts."

Some history: Dr. Biden isn't the first person as FLOTUS to visit Whitman Walker. In 1989, Barbara Bush visited the clinic, where she held a baby and hugged a gay man who were both dying of AIDS, as documented here in the Washington Blade archives.

https://www.washingtonblade.com/2018/04/20/flashback-blades-1989-coverag...

Other First Ladies who've visited Whitman Walker are Hillary Clinton and Bernadette Chirac.

https://www.gettyimages.ae/detail/news-photo/french-first-lady-bernadett...

Media contact for Whitman Walker is Jewel Addy: jaddy@whitman-walker.org

FLOTUS Pool Report #2

Motorcade started rolling at 1:25. Photographers got a brief glimpse at FLOTUS, wearing a dark coat or suit, before she entered.

Vans arrived at destination at 1:30. Pool is entering clinic.

From the first lady's office:

The First Lady will be visiting Whitman-Walker Health, a nonprofit federally qualified health center in Washington, DC that offers community-based health and wellness services. Whitman-Walker specializes in LGBTQ and HIV care. They also offer cancer navigation and support services.

BACKGROUND

Whitman-Walker Health: Overview
Whitman-Walker Health at 1525 is a nonprofit federally qualified health center (FQHC) located on 14th Street
in Northwest Washington, DC.
(Federally Qualified Health Centers are community-based health care providers that receive funds from the Department of Health and Human Services to provide primary care services in underserved areas.)

Whitman-Walker Health generally offers community-based health and wellness services at four locations in Washington, DC (although certain services have been closed due to COVID), and specializes in providing HIV care and programs designed to serve the LGBTQ community.

Whitman-Walker Health provides primary medical care, HIV testing and care, dental, mental health care, additions treatment, legal services, cancer screenings and support services, and many other services annually to 15,000 patients.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Whitman-Walker has provided the majority of care services via video and audio telehealth appointments. They still offer scheduled in-person clinic appointments for urgent medical, dental, or sexual health needs. Whitman-Walker also operates COVID-19 testing clinics at their locations on 14th Street and in Anacostia. They are also planning to administer COVID-19 vaccines once they receive them.

Founded in 1973 as the Gay Men's VD Clinic, Whitman-Walker Health was officially chartered in 1978. Whitman-Walker was one of the earliest respondersto the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Washington, DC. They opened the first gay, community-based medical unit in the country devoted to the evaluation and diagnosis of AIDS symptoms; first home in Washington, DC, for people with AIDS; the then-largest HIV testing center in the DC region; and operated one of three dental clinics in the nation for people with HIV.

Whitman-Walker Health: Cancer Navigation Services
In 2015, Whitman-Walker Health became the first FQHC in the nation to become part of the Cancer Support Community (CSC)'s hospital and health care partners program, which enables it to provide patient-focused support and navigation services for individuals affected by cancer.

Whitman-Walker currently offers cancer navigation services at two sites in Washington, DC – one in Northwest on 14th Street and one in Anacostia. Whitman-Walker is slated to open a health center in Southeast DC within the next two years, which will also offer cancer navigation services.

Cancer Support Community (CSC)
Whitman-Walker partners with the Cancer Support Community (CSC) on their patient navigation services. CSC
currently has 52 licensed affiliates
and health care partnerships, for which they provide support programs (such as support groups and educational workshops) designed to assist patients and their family members, friends, loved ones, and caregivers.

Cancer Navigation Services
Cancer navigators are staff members (such as social workers, community health workers, or nurses) who provide supportive services to individuals affected by cancer. Navigation services, such as those offered by Whitman-Walker, include helping patients to understand the medical system, identify and overcome barriers to care, adhering to a specific care plan, and/or improving treatment plans and outcomes. For example, Whitman-Walker's Cancer Distress Screening program helps cancer patients to identify any care concerns early on in a cancer diagnosis, and then address those concerns before they can become barriers to care.

BIOGRAPHIES

Naseema Shafi,
Chief Executive Officer,
Whitman-Walker Health
Naseema Shafi is the Chief Executive Officer of Whitman-Walker Health. Shafi leads and supports the growth and oversight of the health center with a focus on the provision of high-quality,
affirming care that centers the community. Prior to her current role, she served as both the Deputy Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer for Whitman-Walker as well as its Director of Compliance. Shafi joined Whitman-Walker in 2007. In 2016, she was honored as a Minority Business Leader by The Washington Business Journal. Shafi received a bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, and her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.

Kim Thiboldeaux
Chief Executive Officer,
Cancer Support Community

Kim Thiboldeaux is the Chief Executive Officer of the Cancer Support Community (CSC). Thiboldeaux oversees a global non-profit network of 175 locations, including CSC and Gilda's club centers, health care partnerships, and satellite locations that deliver more than $50 million in free support services to patients and families. CSC also administers a toll-free help line and produces award-winning educational resources. Thiboldeaux served on the Biden Cancer Initiative's Board of Directors. She has co-authored two books and hosts Frankly Speaking About Cancer, a radio show. A native of Philadelphia, Thiboldeaux graduated from American University with a bachelor's degree in C

(Background info from office is cut off)

FLOTUS Pool Report #3

FLOTUS, wearing a white dress and mask adorned with a decorative flower, entered at 1:35 and approach a stakeout, where she was greeted by Naseema Shafi.

Listen: https://otter.ai/u/9C9Oz0jjtYbjuwuyEcEECWFzrz8

Shafi says Whitman Walker is cares for about 200,000 unique individuals every year.

"But because of our historic commitment to the LGBT community, we've got 3,500 living with HIV."

Shafi says 2,000 transgender and non-binary patients. "So we've revolutionized."

Kim Thiboldeaux joins, talks about work on cancer, says she and FLOTUS have worked together before.

Thiboldeaux: "But you know right now there are more than 17 million cancer survivors in the U.S. It is expected that by 2030 there will be more than 22 million cancer survivors in the US, so the numbers are going up, up. So I feel like in the big picture we really have to make a greater effort to to not only do the screenings, we have to address we continue to care for patients."

FLOTUS listened to both clinic operatives attentively with her hands before her. FLOTUS said nothing except to thank the two after they congratulated her on inauguration.

FLOTUS Pool Report #4

After pool was positioned into a new room at 1:50, which appeared to be a stockpile room, FLOTUS emerged shortly afterward and continued to engage with the two clinic operatives.

Listen: https://otter.ai/u/DtaYydW4znb2oWfccjQ9xS7gtWw

Questions from FLOTUS: How are you getting the word out to community so they come back? How are you addressing mental health issues?

The issue of broadband also came up. FLOTUS said she has spoken to teachers nationwide who "can't reach a lot of their students."

FLOTUS concluded by saying POTUS wants to take care of the coronavirus first, then move out on other priorities.

Twitter pics: https://twitter.com/chrisjohnson82/status/1352692228959907841?s=21

Pool escorted out at 1:55.

FLOTUS pool report #5

FLOTUS, still wearing a mask, exited the clinic at 2:00 pm. Stopping for a moment to wave to applause from the street, FLOTUS then hastened to the van and didn't hear questions shouted by reporters.

Pool was loaded into motorcade started rolling shortly afterward.

FLOTUS Pool Report #6 - unscheduled stop at U.S. Capitol

Motorcade didn't immediately hear back to the White House and arrived at U.S. Capitol at 2:07.

Exiting as around two dozens U.S. service members stood at attention, FLOTUS spoke briefly with commanding officers, then spoke to the troops.

FLOTUS, carrying a basket, thanked them for protecting their family and said the Biden's were a National Guard family, invoking the memory of the late Beau Biden.

Holding up (which pooler was told contains chocolate chip cookies), FLOTUS concluded, "The National Guard will always hold a special place in the hearts of all the Bidens."

The troops and FLOTUS interacted. One appeared to hand her a challenge coin. The service members posed for a group photo, then uttered a "hooah" in salute.

FLOTUS thanked them again before heading with pool into motorcade, which started rolling at 2:14.

Twitter pics: https://twitter.com/chrisjohnson82/status/1352696828874137601?s=21

FLOTUS Pool Report #7

Motorcade arrived back at the White House at 2:19 after an uneventful trip.