This blog post was written by third-year Dalhousie medical student Nicoletta Dini and was originally published in the September 2025 issue of doctorsNS magazine.

The number of people who are insecurely housed or unsheltered in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) has skyrocketed over the past decade, doubling from 2018 to 2022, and doubling again to 1,106 people in July 2025. Of those experiencing midsummer homelessness, 471 identified as female or gender diverse, representing a demographic that numerous studies have shown is more likely to face unwanted pregnancies and STIs, yet less likely to receive Pap tests or other forms of reproductive healthcare.

This is what drove leaders at community health organizations in Halifax to organize Papapalooza – Canada’s first-ever gynecological screening party exclusively for this marginalized population. Papapalooza happened in Halifax on June 12.

“For me, it really was the realization of a dream,” said Dr. Heather Scott, Division Head of Obstetrics at Dalhousie University and one of the event’s key organizers. Other collaborators included Dalhousie medical students Maya Lowe and Nicoletta Dini, through their Community Engaged Service Learning (CESL) project, and Direction 180’s Program Manager, Dr. Amanda Moore, who said she “couldn’t stop smiling all day” following the successful event.

While cervical cancer screening pop-ups aren’t new to Canada’s west coast, Papapalooza marked the first expansion of the program to the east coast and the first time it included comprehensive gynecological care.

The community pop-up offered free STI and pregnancy testing and healthcare providers at the event performed 22 Pap tests. Providers also scheduled 17 mobile mammogram appointments, provided on July 3 through the Nova Scotia Breast Screening Program, facilitated by Ms. Dini.

“It’s a service that our population does not access,” said Mobile Outreach Street Health (MOSH) organizer, Patricia McKay. “Having access to the [mobile mammogram] unit has been huge.”

The event brought together physicians, med students and community health leaders. Free Pap tests, STI screenings, resources and fun vagina cupcakes were offered to attendees.

In total, Papapalooza brought together 13 community partners, including MOSH, the Halifax Sexual Health Centre and the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre. Nine educational booths featured activities like sexual health Jeopardy! and distributed resources, including more than 350 menstrual products, 60 sex-positive Venus Envy prize bags and 77 Naloxone kits, to the 100-plus attendees.

While the community response exceeded everyone’s expectations, Ms. Lowe emphasized that to truly engage the target population, “Papapalooza had to be a party.”

And so it was – from the balloons to a DJ to the cupcakes decorated to look like vaginas. “Great energy, decorations, music, vibe,” attested representatives from Upward Mobility Kitchen, one of the community partners. Representatives from CBBC Career College, who provided 41 haircuts and gel nail services, said, “We were absolutely thrilled to be there, we all had so much fun!”

They weren’t the only ones. According to MOSH organizer, Jac Atkinson, all the feedback was “glowing.” “Everyone felt it was beyond wonderful, and they are all asking for it to happen yearly,” she said.

But for her, Papapalooza’s true success was in combatting the stigma in healthcare against patients who sleep on the streets.

“We will never know who had a ‘TSN turning point’ moment [there] and how that will change the trajectory of how they provide care in the future,” Atkinson said. “The ripple effect of these events cannot be underestimated.”

Top photo: From left: Dr. Philemon Opoku Tontoh, Global Health Coordinator at IWK, and Papaplooza organizer Dr. Heather Scott, Division Head of Obstetrics at the IWK.

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