Open Door Health: the name says it all
New LGBTQ health care center is scheduled to open in the fall in Providence
Under the leadership of Sen. Josh Miller, the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the Senate passed a bill to create a harm reduction center as a pilot program in Rhode Island.
PROVIDENCE – Open Door Health, the first LGBTQ health care center in Rhode Island, is currently under construction and scheduled to open in the fall at its location on 7 Central St., in the heart of the city. The clinic will offer primary care as well as screenings for HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and hepatitis C.
Open Door Health will be a health care center that provides high-quality, culturally congruent health care to Rhode Island’s LGBTQ population as well as the broader community, according to a recent news release announcing its planned opening.
It will be run by the nonprofit Rhode Island Public Health Institute, whose vision for Open Door Health is to improve the health and quality of life for members of Rhode Island’s LGBTQ population, which faces disparities in access to care and health outcomes.
The work of Open Door Health is driven by the Institute’s approach to integrating efforts to advance community health, promote health equity, develop innovative programs and train the public health workforce.
In addition, Open Door Health will build on existing collaboration with multiple agencies and institutions, including the R.I. Department of Health, Brown University, the R.I. Executive Office of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We are delighted to open a health clinic focused on sexual health and primary care for Rhode Island's LGBTQ population,” said Dr. Philip A. Chan, Open Door Health’s medical director. Given the steady rise in the rates of sexually transmitted infections, both here in Rhode Island and in the nation, a key focus for Open Door Health will be providing express screening and immediate treatment for STIs, according to Chan.
“Our name says it all; our door is open,” said Dr. Amy Nunn, the executive director of the Rhode Island Public Health Institute. “Open Door Health will provide affirming services for all Rhode Islanders, regardless of their sexual orientation, gender expression, race or ethnicity, or ability to pay.”
Open Door Health will be built using human-centered design and technology, in order to enhance the patient experience, and to scale STI screening and care, according to Mark Tracy, the board chair of the R.I. Public Health Institute.