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Until recently, members of the LGBTQ+ community in Rockland County who were looking for health care attuned to their needs often had to travel to New York City. Now they can find medical care tailored to them in an affirming and confidential way at the Jacobs Family Pride Wellness Center of Montefiore Nyack.
The Pride Wellness Center, which opened in November 2021, “is familiar with the needs that are unique to the LGBTQ+ community,” said Raffaele M. Bernardo, DO, clinical lead at the center. “Additionally, we focus on health care that goes beyond the physical components – mental health, sexual health, and gender-affirming care.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, members of the LGBTQ+ community are at increased risk for a number of health disparities when compared to their heterosexual peers. Discrimination against LGBTQ+ people has been associated with high rates of psychiatric disorders, substance use, and suicide.
said the Pride Wellness Center’s patients have been looking for primary care providers they feel comfortable speaking to about LGBTQ+ issues that affect their physical, mental, and sexual well-being. “We have seen patients ranging from their late teens to older adulthood,” Dr. Bernardo said.
The Pride Wellness Center is also filling a need among the trans population that has been unable to receive gender-affirming care in the area. “Unfortunately, some of these individuals have had to drive into Manhattan, traveling up to an hour or more from their home, to see a doctor who could support their transition,” he said. “Now we are able to help fill this important need close to home.”
The Pride Wellness Center provides services including:
- Confidential screening and treatment for sexually transmitted infections
- Gender-affirming healthcare, gender-affirming hormone therapy, and referrals for gender-affirming surgery
- Gynecologic services for cisgender women and transgender men, including birth control
- HIV testing and prevention services, including Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP)
- Support services, including nursing, patient education, health care navigation, and social services. The staff includes a social worker and a peer educator.
- Vaccinations including hepatitis B, HPV, and others
The Pride Wellness Center currently sees patients ages 16 and up and accepts most insurance. Financial assistance is available with a sliding fee scale for uninsured individuals. Spanish-speaking providers and staff are available, and many are proud members of the LGBTQ+ community. Referrals are available for those under 16, including care for transgender, non-binary, and gender-expansive young people.
Dr. Bernardo says The Pride Wellness Center will expand on services over time, including providing comprehensive HIV care. “We want to provide additional pieces of health care that are often overlooked or are in short supply in Rockland and the Hudson Valley.”
If you would like to receive affirming care and are not a current patient of The Pride Wellness Center but would like to become one, please call 845-348-7284. For more information, visit montefiorenyack.org/pridewellnesscenter.
The Jacobs Family Pride Wellness Center of Montefiore Nyack is located at The Hub Shopping Center, 312 Route 59 (GPS address: 336 Route 59), in Nyack, NY.
