A New Jersey hospital is offering specialized primary-care services to the LGBT community.
The Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset opened the doors of the PROUD Family Health office Jan. 30. This program is the first at a New Jersey hospital to offer specialized care for the LGBT community.
RWJUH Chief Administrative Officer Tony Cava said the program will provide services 6-9 p.m. Mondays, such as wellness visits, lab work, hormone testing and hormone balancing.
“It provides a safe, secure environment for the LGBT community to meet their general health-care needs,” Cava said.
Cava said Jackie Barras, RWJUH’s director of quality and a transgender woman, approached him to discuss ways to enhance the hospital’s LGBT inclusion. The PROUD Family Health office was born from this idea as the hospital tried to expand its diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Dr. Lalitha Hansch, who treats patients through the program, said the hospital provides “a safe place for patients to receive medical care without judgment.” She also noted how there are few resources for transgender patients to receive hormone therapy.
Additionally, Hansch said some patients who’ve travelled out of New Jersey for services have faced roadblocks, such as having to pay for care out of pocket.
“I’ve had multiple people who haven’t been able to use their insurance when they go to the facilities out-of-state,” Hansch said of her patients.
Cava said the RWJUH staff estimated 10,000 New Jersey residents travel out-of-state for health care.
“A lot of the [LGBT] community doesn’t have access to primary health care here in New Jersey and go to other areas to seek it out,” Cava said.
Cava said he would like the program to expand its services to include surgical reconstruction and more office hours.
“I hope to expand the dedicated hours to our PROUD center and I hope that other hospitals within our health system will also mimic what we did and develop similar programs,” Cava said.
Prior to opening PROUD, RWJUH partnered with Garden State Equality to train more than 1,100 employees in LGBT cultural and clinical competence.
“Robert Wood Johnson is not only the first in the state to offer a full-service health clinic for the LGBT community, but is also creating a blueprint for how institutions can work closely with LGBT organizations like Garden State Equality to train staff and reach community members in a healthy way,” said Garden State Equality executive director Christian Fuscarino. “This is what happens when equality meets health care.”
Hansch said she envisions a time when services like the PROUD Family Health office will not be needed.
“My hope is that people will get the care that they need and not feel like they need to come during a special time,” Hansch said. “[I hope] they would feel comfortable going in seeking medical care wherever they may live and not have to drive long distances to get what they need.”