About Catherine White Holman
Catherine White Holman (b. April 18 1954 – d. November 29 2009) was a founding member and community counselor at Three Bridges Community Health Centre since 1995. Her role was inner-city social work and counseling within an interdisciplinary care model (medical, nursing, counseling, social work, nutrition, addiction).
Catherine was involved in the innovative program development of Pride Health Services – a partnership program with The Centre and AIDS Vancouver, Transgender Care Program, in addition to Boys R Us; Positive Women’s Network support group; complementary health programs (massage and art therapy, Reiki, anger management); infant, children & youth in primary care; youth pregnancy program; and integrated addiction care.
She is co-author, with Joshua Goldberg, of two articles: Ethical, Legal and Psychosocial Issues in the Care of Transgender Adolescents, and Social and Medical Advocacy with Transgender People and Loved Ones, both published in Guidelines for Transgender Care, Haworth Medical Press, Binghamton, NY.
Catherine was a member of the Canadian Professional Association for Transgender Health, Safe Choices Advisory Committee, and Three Bridges CHC Quality Improvement Committee. She was a proud tutor for the DPAS UBC Program (Doctor, Patient and Society), and a contributor to the Research Project Accessibility to Health Services for Gay Men at Three Bridges Community Health Centre and the Vancouver AIDS Memorial.
She presented at the Canadian Pediatric Science Conference – Growing up Transgendered, and the Vancouver AIDS Conference.
Catherine’s previous work included being a consultant of program review for the BC Coalition of Persons With AIDS, a co-ordinator of volunteers at the Downtown Eastside Womens’ Centre, the agency co-coordinator and case worker at the Multi-Service Network, and a case worker for Lookout Emergency Shelter.
As a dedicated professional she also shared her wealth of knowledge of ethics and advocacy, helped establish guidelines and standards of care that integrated social work and health care for the disenfranchised and transgendered, and many of the programs that we now depend on in the Queer Community were guided by Catherine’s generous insight and dedicated work.
The wisdom and compassion that she shared in her professional and personal life will be profoundly missed.
The impact of Catherine’s loss on her family, loved ones, friends, acquaintances, co-workers and community is extraordinary. She constantly changed lives for the better, and the folks who donate to this grant, and the folks who help run it, are simply carrying on that work in a small way.
“Don’t dream it; be it”
Links
Visit Catherine’s Condolences page
Other articles about Catherine may be found at Xtra West and the Vancouver Sun.
http://www.sdholman.com/catherine/
http://www.xtra.ca/public/Vancouver/Catherine_WhiteHolman_was_a_light_to_so_many-7965.aspx
http://www.xtra.ca/public/National/On_angels_and_afterlife-8023.aspx
