The Lehigh Valley next week will celebrate the grand opening of the first primary health-care clinic for the LGBT community in the area. Novus Adult Care Services, at 1565 Linden St. in Bethlehem, will formally open its doors with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m. Sept. 28, although the practice has already started seeing patients. The clinic, which provides services such as HIV testing, physical exams, preventative care and a range of other services tailored to LGBT clients, is the first of its kind in the Lehigh Valley. Novus is the brainchild of nurse practitioner Allen Smith, who began planning for the venture in 2006. A 1983 graduate of Allentown Hospital School of Nursing, Smith received his bacehlor’s degree at La Salle University and is currently attending Fairleigh Dickinson University for his doctorate in nursing practice. The registered nurse practitioner is certified in adult primary care by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, in advanced HIV/AIDS care by the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, and in critical-care nursing by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Smith, who in 2008 completed a 500-hour residency at an HIV/AIDS nonprofit, said the clinic grew out of his own experiences as an LGBT patient. “Being gay myself and having lied about my sexuality to my provider for years, I realized that is not the way it should be,” he said. “You should go to your provider feeling comfortable.” The closest LGBT health-care facility was the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia, but Smith said other Pennsylvanians deserve access to those services closer to home. Novus ACS cost close to $400,000 to get off the ground. “I did this all on my own,” Smith said. “I saved and saved and it has been my dream to open up this clinic. My partner has been working with me and my family has been incredibly supportive.” Smith bought the building where the clinic is housed and spent two years remodeling and rehabbing the 2,800-square-foot space. “I wanted it to look and feel like a comfortable home, so I restored the older building to its original architecture,” he said. Smith said the building is easily accessible by all highways but is also private enough for those who want to be discreet. Smith is the owner and operator of the clinic, and is assisted by collaborative physician Dr. Felipe Arias, two nurses and one non-medical staffer. The clinic offers free HIV and STD testing, and Smith has also tested off-site at bars and agencies like Fighting AIDS Continuously Together. Smith said Novus ACS does not accept health insurance but provides affordable care and prescriptions, such as a physical for a flat rate of $45. “There is not a whole lot of extra money unless someone comes in and is having an asthma attack, then I may charge an extra $10 in medications, but they just saved themselves $140 in an emergency-room fee,” he said. The clinic sees both walk-ins and appointments from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, with testing from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Smith said patients have so far ranged from 14 to 70 and have largely sought the clinic for its inclusive environment. “My demographic mix usually has insurance and their own providers, but they don’t want to talk to their providers or they like the fact that I specialize in LGBT care, and would rather come in here and have me do their care and use their own insurance for labs,” he said. Novus ACS also offers a variety of affordable lab testing and packages, with support from the Center for Disease Detection. Tests range from $10-50 for individual labs and free to $150 for packages. Smith is also currently in training to provide transgender-specific health care at his facility. He is authorized to prescribe hormones for trans patients but said he ultimately would like to be able to initiate hormone therapy himself. Smith said LGBT-specific health-care facilities like his allow for patients to trust that their providers are attuned to the ever-changing health needs of the community. “For instance, when you are looking at men and they are sexually active, you need to know what kind of sex they are engaging in, in order to help them with testing and health concerns. You need to be able to ask those questions and be comfortable with them and treat them. That’s not saying that a heterosexual provider won’t do quality care, but my focus is always keeping in mind what is going on in their lives.” For more information on Novus Adult Care Services, visit www.novusacs.com.
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