Primary Care - Pride Marlton Staff to host open house on June 14 with free health screenings and info, prizes, refreshments, tours

Virtua Pride Primary Care opened last June to meet the health needs of the LGBTQ+ community and allies. To mark a successful first year, the practice will hold a free open house on Wednesday, June 14, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Moreover, new services will be added in 2023.

The event, at 534 Lippincott Drive in Marlton, will include free health screenings, giveaways, and light refreshments. Guests can meet the doctors and staff, and tour the welcoming facility. And they can learn about free cancer screenings, for which many transgender people qualify under CDC guidelines. (See guideline details below.)

On July 1, a gastroenterologist (digestive-system or “GI” doctor) will start seeing patients at the practice, and other specialists will be added on a rotating basis. This will enhance patients’ access to specialist care in an inclusive, convenient setting. Also, the practice will soon add a social worker specializing in the needs of the LGBTQ+ community.

Area residents have responded enthusiastically to the practice, noted Dr. Shanin Gross (they/them), Virtua Pride’s lead physician.

“Individuals and families are coming from across South Jersey and even Pennsylvania and Delaware,” said Dr. Gross. “Our patients are so happy to have a medical home where they feel comfortable being themselves, and where the doctors and staff really understand their specific needs.”

Virtua Pride’s other physician, Dr. Richard Levine (he/him), is the practice’s medical director.

“It’s an inclusive and welcoming place,” said patient Dane Cox (he/him), a gay man, husband, and business owner from Collingswood. Cox, 37, has already had an annual physical at the practice, plus a sick visit for cold symptoms.

“You lose that initial guard you might have up with other clinics and doctors. It feels good to be comfortable right when you walk in the door,” said Cox, the owner and agent of Dane Cox State Farm Insurance Agency in Mount Laurel.

In its first year, the practice has served nearly 600 patients across 1,600 visits. About 65% of these patients are new to Virtua Medical Group, Virtua Health’s network of employed doctors and other clinicians. Virtua Health is South Jersey’s largest health system and a not-for-profit organization.

In January, Virtua Pride became the first Virtua program to offer rapid HIV testing—which can be difficult to access. This is critical, as treatment within 72 hours of exposure can prevent HIV.

In addition, Virtua Pride has provided more than 100 doses of the mpox vaccine. This disease is ticking up again, so the practice anticipates a rising need for the shot, which can both prevent and, if given early, reduce mpox symptoms.

The office is one of 25 primary care practices and about 140 specialty practices operated by Virtua Medical Group.

Virtua Pride offers comprehensive primary care for adults and children ages 8 and older, in a safe and reassuring environment. It also provides specialized services, including:

• HIV prevention and management, including PrEP and PEP
• Gender-affirming hormone therapy, family planning, and sexual health
• Medication-assisted treatment for opioid and alcohol abuse
• Behavioral health counseling and treatment
• Mpox vaccinations. While anyone can contract mpox (formerly called monkeypox), men who’ve had recent sexual contact with other men are at highest risk, according to the CDC.
• Dedicated schedulers who are trained to assist members of the LGBTQ+ community

As with all Virtua primary care practice, Virtua Pride also offers:

• A community-based health nurse who connects patients to social services as needed, such as food access programs, transportation services, and the like.
• A public health nurse who works to reduce hospital readmissions. The nurse follows up with patients for 30 days after a hospitalization, and provides annual well visits for Medicare patients.

To learn more about Virtua Pride Primary Care or to schedule an appointment, please visit virtua.org/pride or call (856) 355-7144.

Updated CDC Cancer Screening Guidelines

These updated guidelines include transgender men and women, and certain women under age 40. Such patients who are uninsured or underinsured may qualify for the following free screenings through the NJCEED program at Virtua other providers:

• Transgender Women:
  • Transgender women (male-to-female) who have taken or are taking hormones and meet all program eligibility requirements, are eligible to receive free breast cancer screening and diagnostic services through NJCEED.
• Transgender Men:
  • Transgender men (female-to-male), who have not undergone a bilateral mastectomy and meet all program eligibility requirements, are eligible to receive free breast cancer screening and diagnostic services through NJCEED.
  • Transgender men (female-to-male) who have not undergone a total hysterectomy (i.e., still have a cervix) and meet all other eligibility requirements are eligible to receive free cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services through NJCEED.
• Women under age 40 and at “high risk” or under age 40 and with breast cancer symptoms:
  • Can receive free clinical breast examination, diagnostic testing, and/or a surgical consultation through the NJCEED program.
    
    “High risk” includes those who have a known genetic mutation, first-degree relative with premenopausal breast cancer or known genetic mutations, a history of radiation treatment to the chest area before the age of 30 (typically for Hodgkin’s lymphoma), and a lifetime risk of 20% or more for development of breast cancer based on risk assessment models that are largely dependent on family history.