Howard Brown Health Centers Continue HIV Treatments In Midst of COVID-19
Photo of Howard Brown’s Sheridan clinic courtesy of Facebook.
As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to dominate medical facilities around the globe, LGBTQ-affirming clinics such as Howard Brown Health Centers are adjusting their services to protect their most vulnerable patients.
With HIV rates disproportionately high among LGBTQ+ populations, Howard Brown regularly treats HIV patients, who are immunocompromised and therefore especially vulnerable to COVID-19.
Cynthia McDonald, a patient navigator at Howard Brown, emphasizes that despite the precautions taken — including closing a number of clinics — services for HIV patients remains a priority.
“We're still continuing services to make sure [HIV patients] are getting treated, they have medication. Our pharmacies have not closed,” McDonald says. “Their viral load can actually increase [without medication]… [and] portions of the immune system can become more and more suppressed.”
While Howard Brown is testing every patient for symptoms before they enter any of their open clinics, McDonald says they are facing the same problem as most of the country’s healthcare providers: a lack of COVID-19 testing kits. Howard Brown is currently using a test that identifies several different coronaviruses, though not specifically COVID-19.
“Unfortunately, they're not as precise as we like it to be,” McDonald says. “It's kind of the best ones that we have available.”
McDonald suggests Howard Brown’s patients following CDC and WHO hygiene guidelines to prevent further spread of the virus. However, if someone is showing symptoms of the virus — including a fever, chills or dry cough — and is worried about paying for a screening, she points to Howard Brown’s sliding scale payment system, which determines a service’s cost based on a patient’s income.
“One of the mission statements of Howard Brown is that we treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay,” McDonald says. “Don't worry about it, just come in, get tested, get treated and we'll take care of the rest.”
Howard Brown currently has two clinics open at 641 W. 63rd Street and 4025 N. Sheridan Road.