NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan Opens Dedicated Pride Health Center for LGBTQ Patients
Center provides LGBTQ-affirming care for a variety of services, including primary care, transgender health care, OB/GYN, hormone therapy, sexually transmitted infections and HIV, PrEP, and more
Apr 13, 2023
Congressman Adriano Espaillat, Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine
Dr. Mitchel Katz, Cristina Contreras and Chris Wilson cut the ribbon at the Pride Health Center opening
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan today announced the opening of its comprehensive Pride Health Center, a dedicated space where LGBTQ, transgender and gender non-conforming patients (TGNC) can access individual care with respect and dignity. The Center serves lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning/queer (LGBTQ) patients as they receive high-quality, culturally competent, respectful care in a new, dedicated space. Metropolitan’s Pride Health Center has been providing care to LGBTQ patients for over ten years, however, the new Pride Health Center is a dedicated, safe space in the facility where LGBTQ and TGNC patients can access individual and family-based care with empathy, dignity and respect.
The new Pride Health Center provides LGBTQ-affirming care for a variety of services, including adult primary care and preventive care, transgender health care (including gender affirming ‘top surgery’ and gender- affirming hormone therapy), men’s/women’s health care, young adult care, geriatric care, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), confidential HIV/STD testing/treatment, HIV care services, general medical/specialty referrals, OB/GYN, immunizations and vaccinations. Physiatry and social work support will also be available for patients to assist with continuity of care.
“Seeing a health care provider can be daunting for people in the LGBTQ community because of a lack of respect and understanding. Accessing high-quality, comprehensive health care is a basic human right and you shouldn’t be denied that because of who you love or how you identify,” said NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz, MD. “NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan in 2014 was the first municipal hospital to open a health center dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community and it continues to set the standard for this type of care.”
“We treat everyone who seeks care at Metropolitan with respect and we affirm who they are,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan CEO Cristina Contreras, LMSW, MPA, FABC. “We’re honored that Metropolitan has been consistently recognized as an LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader by the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer civil rights organization.”
“I applaud the NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan work to create a welcoming and dedicated space for our LGBTQ+ community,” said Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “The Metropolitan Pride Health Center will ensure LGBTQ+ patients are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve, but far too often do not receive. As we watch LGTBQ+ rights come under attack all across our nation, New York City is proud to be a champion and ally to our LGTBQ+ community.”
The Pride Health Center at Metropolitan is located within the Outpatient Building on the first floor. The Center is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am to 5pm and Tuesday from 11am to 7pm. It is staffed with a cadre of full-time dedicated providers who are supported by an interdisciplinary patient care team who have all been trained in competencies around caring for patients that are part of the LGBTQ and TGNC communities. The team works with patients and their health insurers to obtain all the necessary pre-surgical clearances and statements of medical necessity from their physicians. In addition to Center hours, LGBTQ-affirming care is available 24/7 at Metropolitan via the Emergency and Ambulatory Care Departments.
This is the latest in a long history of services Metropolitan has made over the years to provide care to the LGBTQ and TGNC community. Metropolitan was the first municipal hospital to open a health center dedicated to the health care of LGBTQ patients over 10 years ago. In 2016, the hospital expanded health services for transgender patients, including gender-affirming surgeries and increased access to hormone therapy. Metropolitan is one of only a few hospitals in New York City offering gender-affirming surgeries, and has completed over 150 top surgeries to date.
“The opening of the Pride Health Center at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan marks a great advancement in our city’s efforts to achieve health equity,” said Speaker Adrienne Adams. “The new, dedicated space for LBGTQIA+, non-binary, and gender non-conforming patients will help ensure consistent access to comprehensive and gender-affirming healthcare. Culturally-competent healthcare, especially for historically underserved communities, can make significant differences in health outcomes. The Center bridges a necessary gap, and I look forward to how it will meet the needs of our LGBTQIA+ and TGNC New Yorkers.”
“The LGBTQ and TGNC communities disproportionately face barriers to accessing culturally-competent healthcare. This dedicated Pride Health Center is a critical step towards providing a safe space in the East Harlem Community to increase access to quality, culturally sensitive care. I want to thank NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan for 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 NYC Council Deputy Speaker Diana Ayala.
“By investing in Pride Centers at our public hospitals, the City is supporting and championing every New Yorker’s right to access queer-affirming health care. This is especially meaningful at a time when more than half of American states have banned or put in jeopardy queer-affirming care,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. “Because of the H+H/Metropolitan Pride Center, New Yorkers and those beyond our city will know that their health and lives are valued here.”
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/Jacobi
1400 Pelham Parkway S, Bronx, NY 10461
- 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. 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).
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan is the community hospital of choice for residents of East Harlem, northern Manhattan and neighboring communities. The hospital provides culturally-sensitive care in a welcoming and hospitable setting, emphasizing primary care medicine and utilizing the latest advances in medical science. It is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the largest municipal hospital and health care system in the country. For more information, please visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org/metropolitan and follow us on facebook.com/MetropolitanHosp
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlus health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 43,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.