When I first walked through the doors, I faced a daunting challenge. The year was 1995. I had recently relocated from Los Angeles to the East Coast with my wife to be near family. I was approached about the opportunity to lead an organization that provided vital health care and HIV-related services to Philadelphia’s LGBT community.
At the time, it was known as Philadelphia Community Health Alternatives. (We would officially change our name in 2003 to honor the memory of a longtime volunteer and board member, Peter Mazzoni, MD). It seemed like the perfect match for me.
As I settled into the new job, the scale of difficulty quickly became apparent. I had inherited an organization that was saddled with enormous debt and, frankly, was unsure of its future. The challenges of supporting and caring for people with HIV/AIDS at the time were significant enough, without adding financial duress to the mix. I knew the only things we had going for us were the quality of our services and our dedicated staff — which at the time consisted of just 13 people.
Fortunately for me, the organization also had a legacy of innovation and excellence, a solid base of community support and tremendous volunteer participation. In 1985, the FDA had approved the first test to screen for antibodies of HIV. Shortly after that, Mazzoni/PCHA established the first community-based HIV testing site in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (and only the fourth in the entire United States). In 1986, the agency launched a housing-subsidy program for people living with HIV/AIDS, and in 1989 opened the first area food bank for individuals living with HIV/AIDS.
Over the years, our staff built a track record of developing and delivering programs that could meet the specific needs of our clients.
There were many difficult, even heartbreaking moments. We lost some incredible individuals — some of them celebrated figures, others not as well-known but just as well-loved by those close to them. We lost several members of our own staff and our “extended family” of volunteers. Even today it is shocking to consider the magnitude of loss that HIV/AIDS dealt to the LGBT community.
Then in the mid- to late 1990s, the appearance of protease inhibitors to treat HIV/AIDS brought the first signs of real hope.
As HIV/AIDS increasingly became a manageable disease, we were able to take a broader view of LGBT health needs and start to realize the vision I had of moving to a more comprehensive continuum of care. Steady and determined, we began to build.
We added mental-health counseling and recovery programs, knowing that LGBT individuals had particular need for counselors who understand their experiences and accept them for who they are. We worked with the Philadelphia School District on anti-bullying programs to create safer, more-inclusive school climates. In 2006, we introduced a primary-care practice where LGBT folks, and others, could access quality care by providers who were well-versed in their health concerns, and in a respectful and welcoming environment. Our practice now sees 15,000 patient visits per year.
As much as possible, we’ve tried to anticipate needs and recognize where we are falling short. When staff noted a significant “no-show” rate among youth patients at our primary practice, we decided to experiment with a drop-in evening one night a week, with no appointment needed, for those ages 14-24. The idea took off and has been going strong for more than five years, with more staff and services being added all the time. Since we launched the drop-in program, we’ve seen well over 2,000 youth come through the doors on Wednesday nights.
Several years ago, we realized there were many shortcomings in services for trans-identified individuals, so we set about making sure our practice would be welcoming and culturally competent, a place where trans or gender-nonconforming people would receive excellent treatment and be respected for who they are. These days, trans patients make up about 20 percent of our overall patient base, and the addition of pediatric trans care two years ago has been embraced by many families from the region and beyond.
The Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference — which made its debut as a small gathering of community activists at a Quaker meetinghouse in 2002 — has grown into a major international event with more than 3,500 attendees last year.
In 2010, we added LGBT legal services, because we recognized the connection between a person’s sense of health and well-being and their access to basic civil rights and protections.
And that’s just to name a few things. It seems hard to believe that some of these programs were launched decades ago. But I am proud to see that our staff continues to innovate, to explore new initiatives and to impress me with their dedication to helping others.
I’m also excited about our future, especially about our plans to move in 2017 to a new facility at Broad and Bainbridge streets. The move will bring all our programs together under one roof, dramatically increase our capacity for primary care and behavioral-health services and make a strong statement about the importance of LGBT health in the city of Philadelphia.
As always, we will continue to ask ourselves: How can we address the diverse community of LGBT individuals with the full range of services each of them might require? Are we doing enough to meet the needs, and intersections, of queer women, LGBT youth, trans individuals, gay men of color?
Today, Mazzoni Center employs 130 people. At monthly staff meetings, we have a tradition of sharing “mission moments” — those interactions when a staffer is reminded about why they work at Mazzoni, and about the real impact we have. It’s a wonderful and humbling experience to hear these stories. It reminds me that the successes we’ve had are shared by many of you.
We exist for, and because of, everyone who has ever made an appointment, brought a friend to get tested, volunteered, made a contribution, attended the Trans-Health Conference or told someone they know to check us out.
I’m thrilled to be celebrating Mazzoni’s 35th anniversary at our annual fundraiser and celebration, “Elixir,” on May 15 at the Water Works. And we’ve got more to look forward to: The 14th annual Trans-Health Conference (June 4-6), followed by Philadelphia’s first-ever Youth Pride event on July 5.
Our work is far from over, and I look forward to many more milestones. Here’s to your health!
For more information about Mazzoni Center, visit mazzonicenter.org or call 215-563-0652.