The PROUD Center helped Abraham Linares get started on PrEP, a medication for HIV prevention.
TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR SEXUAL HEALTH A THE BABS SIPERSTEIN PROUD CENTER OFFERS MEDICATION TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HIV INFECTION.
Healthy Together
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braham Linares, 26, a bilingual sexual health counselor at the Hyacinth Foundation in Plainfield, was searching for a primary care doctor who would take a more holistic approach to his health. As a cisgender gay man, he was also hoping to find a clinic that would be sensitive to his needs. In addition, he was interested in taking PrEP, a medication that reduces a person’s risk of contracting HIV. As a sexual health counselor, Abraham had heard of the Babs Siperstein PROUD Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset
and decided to make an appointment. The PROUD Center provides LGBTQIA health services, including primary care, immunization, HIV prevention, hormone therapy, sick visits, chronic illness management, health education and counseling and support groups. It also offers telehealth visits. “The environment was very welcoming,” says Abraham, whose first appointment was in March 2019. “Also, I saw myself represented at PROUD. There are people from all ethnicities and racial groups.” He saw his new physician, Amanda Francis, DO, and had a physical exam. “The doctors at
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