NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Opens New Pride Health Center for LGBTQ Patients
Center will provide LGBTQ-affirming care for a variety of services, including primary care, OB/GYN, family planning services, behavioral health, hormone therapy, testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, PrEP, and more
Oct 15, 2021
NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi today announced the opening of its new comprehensive Pride Health Center. The Center will serve lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) patients as they receive high-quality, culturally competent, respectful care in the hospital’s state-of-the-art facility. The new Pride Health Center will provide LGBTQ-affirming care for a variety of services, including primary care, adolescent care, OB/GYN, family planning services, behavioral health, dental services, ophthalmology, hormone therapy, testing for sexually transmitted infections and HIV, and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and more. Social work support will also be available for patients to assist with continuity of care.
“Each Pride Health Center our public health system opens demonstrates our level of commitment to ensure every single New Yorker has access to culturally sensitive and respectful health care,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Chief Diversity Officer Matilde Roman, Esq. “This group of patients have been excluded from competent care for far too long, and we recognize our responsibility to make sure to provide a welcoming environment that affirms their right to receive expert care they need most.”
“We treat everyone who seeks care at Jacobi with respect and we affirm who they are,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi CEO Christopher Mastromano. “It’s been well documented that our LGBTQ community faces barriers when trying to access healthcare and we are committed, at Jacobi and throughout our NYC Health + Hospitals System, to tear those barriers down.”
The Pride Health Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi is located within Building 8 on the first floor (1D). The Center will have sessions on Thursday afternoons from 1:30-5:00PM and will have a cadre of full-time dedicated providers who are supported by a team of nurses, administrators, and patient care associates. In addition to Center hours, LGBTQ-affirming care is available 24/7 at Jacobi via the Emergency and Ambulatory Care Departments.
This is the latest in a long history of services NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi has made over the years to provide care to the LGBTQ community. Jacobi pioneered the first HIV/AIDS daycare in the nation back in the 1980s. In 2018, the hospital was recognized by the Human Rights Campaign as being a “Leader in LGBTQ Healthcare Equity,” and in 2019 opened a “health and empowerment center” for sexual health services. This year also marked the fifth annual LGBTQ pride event at Jacobi.
“Congratulations to NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi on the opening of the new Pride Health Center! It’s far too common for our LGBTQ+ family and community members to experience discrimination and barriers to essential health services. They deserve access to care that affirms and supports their physical and mental health needs. Thank you to the hospital staff and administration for making this stride forward for health equity,” said United States Representative Jamaal Bowman.
“If we believe access to healthcare is a human right, we must address the inequities within our healthcare system that often bar LGBTQ+ communities from receiving proper care. The creation of the Pride Health Center will remove systematic barriers and ensure that every New Yorker, regardless of gender and sexual identity, receives the affirming and competent care they deserve. I commend NYC Health + Hospitals and Jacobi for ensuring that the LGTBQ+ community receives the high-quality, culturally competent, and comprehensive healthcare they are entitled to,” said State Senator Alessandra Biaggi.
“The LGBTQ community disproportionately faces barriers to accessing culturally-competent healthcare. This expansion is a critical step towards addressing the health disparities impacting LGBTQ New Yorkers and increasing access to quality, culturally sensitive care and health and human services in our communities. I want to thank NYC Health + Hospitals for bringing this important resource to the Bronx, their ongoing commitment to providing dedicated care for LGBTQ New Yorkers and ensuring our public health system is inclusive to the needs of all New Yorkers,” said State Senator Jamaal T. Bailey.
“For too long the LGBTQ community has faced many obstacles in trying to access healthcare,” said Assembly Member Nathalia Fernandez. “The opening of the Pride Health Center at Jacobi is a great example of our community’s commitment to prioritizing the healthcare needs of our LGBTQ community. I am proud that this center is opening at Jacobi, in the heart of my Assembly District.”
“I commend NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi for launching its Pride Health Center. Our Bronx LGBTQ community deserves quality healthcare that reaffirms who they are and I’m pleased Jacobi is committed to providing such care in a culturally competent manner,” said Assembly Member Michael Benedetto.
“I am delighted to see investments being made in the East Bronx for our LGBTQIA+ community,” said Assembly Member Karines Reyes. “The new Pride Health Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi will offer LGBTQIA-affirming care and provide access to key services to LGBTQIA+ patients. I am grateful for this critical expansion that promotes equity in the outer-boroughs, which have long been underserved. I look forward to the role that the Pride Health Center will play in establishing trust and community building in the future.”
“Jacobi has always been synonymous with providing superior quality care for Bronxites. The opening of the new Pride Health Center in Jacobi will go a long way to help address the specific needs of the LGBTQ+ community by providing culturally sensitive services for a community that too often faces issues accessing quality and affordable healthcare,” said Council Member Mark Gjonaj.
“The opening of NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi Pride Health Center is a huge accomplishment for The Bronx,” said Council Member Kevin C. Riley. “Ensuring every member of our community has access to proper healthcare should no longer be optional. This new center paves the way to uphold equity in our medical system and advocate for human rights by providing safe and accessible health resources for the LGBTQ community.”
“Since 2009, the Bronx continues to be ranked last out of New York State’s 62 counties in health outcomes by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Ranking Report. Today I congratulate NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi in working to change these statistics by opening their new Pride Health Center for LGBTQ+ patients. This is a vital step in addressing the historic health disparities faced by our borough. I look forward to working with institutions like NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi to bring much needed resources to our shared communities,” said Council Member Oswald Feliz.
NYC Health + Hospitals has long been a leader in caring for LGBTQ patients and continues its commitment to providing staff with specialized trainings to ensure LGBTQ patients who seek care at any location across the health system receive responsive health care in a welcoming environment.
NYC Health + Hospitals’ Pride Health Centers are:
- NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue
462 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10016 - NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur
227 Madison St., New York, NY 10002 - NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Judson
34 Spring St., New York, NY 10012 - NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
1901 1st Avenue, New York, NY 10029 - NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull
760 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11206
NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln also opened a new comprehensive Gender Affirming Integrated Services Practice, dedicated to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) patients in June 2021.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan was the first public hospital to open a health center dedicated to the health care of LGBTQ patients and has since expanded health services for transgender patients, including gender-affirming surgeries and increased access to hormone therapy. In addition to the Pride Health Centers, NYC Health + Hospitals will continue to provide services to LGBTQ youth through their Bridge Program at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Judson Health Center, which offers a one stop shop for adolescents’ medical, mental health services and other support services, with specialized expertise in servicing this audience.
For more information about any of the Pride Health Centers at NYC Health + Hospitals or to make an appointment, please contact 844-NYC-4NYC (1-844-692-4692).