MARLTON, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Virtua Health is opening a primary care facility specifically established to serve members of the LGBTQ community.
The Virtua Pride Primary Care in Marlton will provide basic services as well as gender-affirming care for adults and kids ages 7 and older. Other services include HIV testing, prevention and management; sexual health; drug and alcohol abuse treatment; and behavioral health.
Dr. Shanin Gross, co-lead physician of the facility, said this is the first of its kind in the region but likely won’t be the last.
“It’s a culture change in the world and our overall community in South Jersey,” Gross said. “It’s not just a one-off.”
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Gross will lead the practice alongside Dr. Richard Levine.
“When primary care is at its best, there is a connection between the patient and provider, and a sense that you are a unique individual deserving of a curated plan of care,” Levine added in a statement. “That gold standard is what we strive for.”
Dane Cox from Collingswood has been waiting for a place like this, a place where he can feel comfortable at a doctor’s office.
“Myself and some others in the queer community have experienced a little bit of judgment, and so being able to come to a place like this where that anxiety is a little bit less upon entry is helpful,” he explained.
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“It really changes someone’s feeling of the world,” echoed Gross. “They feel included. They feel seen. They feel heard. They feel less scared and more engaged in their own health care and more likely to be healthy in the long run.”
The Pride Primary Care office is Virtua’s 24th primary care location. It officially opens on Monday.