PRIDE at Montefiore: Caring for our Bronx LGBTQIA+ Community

Celebrating Pride Month at Montefiore

By Justin Toro, LMSW, Associate Director, AIDS Center, Montefiore Health System

NEW YORK - For more than three decades, Montefiore has been at the forefront of providing equitable care for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) community. In fact, Montefiore has been designated a leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign 10 years in a row for provide safe, sensitive and equitable care; with a perfect score the past two years!

Supporting PRIDE – Inside and Out

We’re beyond proud to offer a range of services as unique as the amazing people we serve . We know that while the month of June is a time of empowerment, any time of the year we can feel depression and anxiety, which we know is more common in the LGBTQ+ community. In fact, LGBTQ+ adults are more than twice as likely as heterosexual adults to have a mental health condition, and transgender individuals are nearly 4x as likely as people whose gender identity corresponds with their birth sex to experience a mental health condition. 

At Montefiore, we have experts in stress and mental health who have experience partnering with all ages of people within our borough. We also have ongoing research to measure and address disparities in mental healthcare, specifically for transgender and nonbinary people.

For individuals who feel their assigned gender at birth doesn’t match who they are, we have a range of services from adult gender affirming surgery, including facial feminization surgery (FFS), facial masculinization surgery, tracheal shave, and voice feminization surgery to laser hair removal. Sometimes these procedures might seem out of reach, but we are here to partner with our community to navigate care and resources in New York.

Montefiore has many locations that serve the community year-round, providing care with dignity and respect for all, access to the latest treatments, like long acting injectables to prevent HIV, and helping to address barriers to care, including lack of healthy food, unhealthy living conditions and unstable housing. Our hospitals, community health centers and specialty clinics across our health system deliver general and specialty care in a safe, welcoming and affirming environment.

To get to know us more and celebrate PRIDE, we’re participating in the following events over the course of the month:

* Yonkers PRIDE on Saturday, June 8 th

* Nyack PRIDE on Sunday, June 9 th

* The Bronx Borough President’s office annual Bronx LGBTQ Awards on Wednesday, June 12 th

*Bronx LGBTQ Expo at Montefiore Medical Center’s Grand Hall on Thursday, June 20 th

* Bronx PRIDE on Saturday, June 22 nd

* First annual Norwood PRIDE event on Sunday, June 23 rd ; and

* NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 30 th

One of the most important reminders we express during this month and at our events is to take pride in yourself by prioritizing your health. This means scheduling primary care appointments getting tested for sexually transmitted infections or STIs regularly and remaining up to date with needed vaccinations.

Supporting the LGBTQ+ Community Year-Round

Specific services and centers to keep in mind not just in June but all year long, include:

The Oval Center at Montefiore (TOCM), founded in 2013, is Montefiore Einstein’s premier sexual health clinic, providing care to anyone age 16 and over in the LGBTQ+ community. A range of services are offered on-site that include: HIV prevention and treatment, sexual health screening and treatment, gender affirming care and supportive services to those in need.

Montefiore Einstein’s Center for Positive Living/ID Clinic (CPL) was founded in the 1980s as one of New York State’s first expert HIV programs serving adults aged 21 and over. Today, they provide primary care for more adults living with HIV/AIDS than any other site in New York State.

Our Montefiore Medical Group sites have a 50-year history of serving the LGBTQ+ community through a network of community-based clinics that provide a safe environment, staffed with doctors and nurse practitioners who are competent in LGBTQ+ medical care and sensitive to the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

The Trans-Wellness Center at Montefiore takes a holistic approach to providing transgender and nonbinary (TGNB) care for those who have a conflict between the gender they were assigned at birth and the gender with which they identify. The Trans-Wellness Center provides navigational access to care at multiple locations throughout the Bronx and now Rockland County.

Our team of compassionate specialists is committed to providing the highest quality gender-affirming care every step of a patient’s experience and advancing the standard of care for the LGBTQ+ community in the Bronx and beyond. We hope to see you at one of our events soon! Happy PRIDE!