Open Door Health opened March 2 and is now Rhode Island鈥檚 first health clinic that specializes in primary care, sexual health and other health initiatives for the LGBTQ+ community. The clinic is located at 7 Central Street in Providence.
Open Door Health provides services 鈥渇or individuals looking for culturally competent care,鈥� said Philip Chan, the clinic鈥檚 medical director and associate professor in the University鈥檚 Department of Medicine. 鈥淲e also specialize in sexual health 鈥� that includes HIV testing, HIV care, STD testing, as well as pre-exposure prophylaxis and hepatitis C testing and treatment.鈥� Open Door Health provides walk-in STD testing.
The clinic was founded to help eliminate some of the disparities that the LGBTQ+ community encounters in its access to healthcare, according to Chan. 鈥淭he biggest need that I鈥檝e seen in Rhode Island is the lack of primary care for the LGBTQ+ population,鈥� Chan said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had no place to refer people to (for) primary care, and that鈥檚 the gap that the clinic is really looking to fill.鈥�
At the official ribbon-cutting ceremony, Gov. Gina Raimondo stated that LGBTQ+ Rhode Islanders 鈥渙ften (face) discrimination and stigma,鈥� and that this clinic is an important step in addressing the needs of that community.
She added that 鈥渆very Rhode Islander deserves access to safe, high-quality health care provided in a welcoming, respectful and supportive environment,鈥� and that 鈥渢his beautiful, state-of-the-art clinic will help us meet that goal.鈥�
President and CEO of the Rhode Island Foundation Neil Steinberg is proud to support Open Door Health. Helping fund the clinic 鈥渋s an opportunity that we have to assist in improving patient-centered primary care by reducing barriers, focusing on the (LGBTQ+) population and promoting new culturally appropriate care delivery,鈥� he said.
Since opening, Open Door Health has seen and treated people every day, according to Chan. While the clinic has mainly seen adult patients thus far, there is a pediatric nurse practitioner on staff.
The Rhode Island Foundation partially funded the clinic with a grant of $175,000 because 鈥渨e鈥檙e focusing on health equity and reducing disparities 鈥� and the work of Open Door Health aligns squarely with these objectives,鈥� Steinberg said.
Open Door Health receives funding from other sources as well, including the state鈥檚 Executive Office of Health and Human Services and HIV care program, Chan said. In addition, the clinic is supported by the Champlin Foundation, CVS, Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Rhode Island Department of Health.
鈥淪ome of these programs are how we鈥檙e going to offset (costs) for people that can鈥檛 pay or afford care,鈥� said Chan. 鈥淪ome of these funders will help step up and provide some safety net funding for those individuals.鈥� Open Door Health bills insurance companies, but specified 鈥渨e are advocates for public health, and for the people that can鈥檛 pay, they should talk to us about different ways that we can still make it work.鈥�
In the future, Open Door Health is looking to expand the range of services it offers. According to Chan, 鈥淭he (LGBTQ+) population really faces a myriad of health challenges,鈥� including behavioral health, mental health and substance use treatment, 鈥渟o we鈥檙e starting with primary care and STD testing, but we do envision that we will expand to include access to other health services as well.鈥�
Other aspirations for the clinic include education, research and advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. Ultimately, 鈥渨e really want to use this clinic as a platform to really revolutionize care across the state of Rhode Island,鈥� Chan said.
