MARLTON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Virtua Health celebrates the one-year anniversary of its Pride Primary Care facility in Marlton, which provides medical care for the LGBTQ community and allies.
Nearly 600 patients were treated in the first year at Virtua Pride Primary Care. “A large portion of those, a majority, are actually new to the Virtua system, which means there was a need out there for this type of service,” said lead physician Dr. Shanin Gross.
Gross said it’s been incredibly rewarding to provide the care people need in an environment that’s comfortable for them.
“When I get in the room, they are just so excited to finally have a doctor or a medical provider of any kind of their own. It’s a really nice thing to see them reengaged in their own health care and feeling like they want to take care of themselves again.”
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Some patients, Gross said, hadn’t seen a doctor in a decade.
“They had bad experiences in the past or felt uncomfortable with their previous provider who didn’t quite get their own unique circumstances or was outright discriminatory,” said Gross. “They come in and … from the minute they walk in and somebody asks their pronouns, they know that they are comfortable.”
In year two, Virtua wants to increase collaboration with nearby mental health facilities to help patients with more holistic treatment. For now, though, Gross said the practice has been welcomed with open arms.
“We’d like to thank the community and area in general just for that support and we look forward to working with them for many years to come.”
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