Queer Eye' Season 6: Where is Dr JerekaThomas now? An update on her clinic
Thanks to the pandemic, the last few years have certainly been rough on everyone. For frontline works, this certainly holds, as their efforts have been pivotal in every way possible, from testing to vaccinations. Enter Jereka Thomas, EDD, a dedicated frontline worker who has gone above and beyond for her community. As the Co-founder and Chief Academic Officer for the Central Texas Allied Health Institute, she has conducted 13,000 Covid tests, vaccinated 3,000 people, and enrolled 125 students thus far.
Nominated by her business partner Todd and her husband Ben, Tan France, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness and Bobby Berk hope to help Dr Jereka take time out for herself.
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After securing funds, Dr Jereka opened the Central Texas Allied Health Institute amid the pandemic, seeing that she saw the dire need for more testing and vaccination centres. Her school also focuses on helping students of colour and students from below the federal poverty line. However, her constant drive means that she is often strapped on time and usually skips chores like cooking to spend time with her young son carter. Self-care certainly gets neglected in this situation, and the Fab Five hope to help Dr Jereka find some time for herself.
What did the Fab Five do for Dr Jereka?
Dr Jereka made it known that she is a Southern woman who knows her way around the kitchen, but time is of the essence. Moreover, when it comes to healthy food, it needs to taste good, as it is a no-no for her. Thankfully, Antoni Porowski was able to devise a quick and simple fix to help her make the most of her time. She felt like she didn't have many options due to her figure with her fashion.
Tan France remedied that through some eclectic picks for her wardrobe. Dr Jereka opened up about how she began losing hair at 24 and thus began wearing wigs. When JVN encouraged her to go natural, she spoke about how natural hair is wrongfully written off. However, she embraced her hair and her new look, opting to give up on the wig she had been wearing. And finally, with Karamo Brown, the two had a very heartfelt discussion about assessing success, seeing that Dr Jereka has genuinely come far and is now paving the way for others like herself.
Where is Dr Jereka Thomas now?
Post the episode, Dr Jereka's life has not been smooth sailing. As reported by Bustle, city officials decided not to renew the Austin Public Health contract that was responsible for her clinic's funding. In addition, Dr Jereka's institute would also be moving to a new location with the African American Youth Harvest Foundation in 2022. However, on a personal front, she still seems to be rocking her natural hair and working as hard as ever, despite the early setbacks.
'Queer Eye' Season 6 premieres on December 31st, 2021, on Netflix.