What Healthcare Services Can You Receive at Apicha CHC?

Apicha CHC has long been an advocate for the LGBT communities, and we pride ourselves on offering top-notch HIV/AIDS testing and primary medical care in order for each of our patients to be able to live their best, healthiest life.

However, what many people may not know is that Apicha CHC offers many more services than just LGBT or HIV/AIDS-specific treatment. Our healthcare services run the gamut, from preventive healthcare and primary care to women's health services and family planning.

Healthcare Services Provided at Apicha CHC

Specific services that Apicha CHC provides include:

• Primary Medical Care

  Your own Medical Provider who understands you and your health needs, same or next day appoinments when you are sick, annual physicals and checkups, vaccinations, blood tests, preventive healthcare, blood pressure monitoring, diabetes care, disease prevention, medication prescriptions and assistance with prior authorizations, health maintenance, diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses, depression screening, and referrals for more specialized care if needed.

• Women's Health Services:

  Family planning by a female clinician, contraception counseling and management including rapid pregnancy testing, immunizations including HPV vaccine, pelvic exams, cervical pap smears and colposcopy.

• Mental Health Services: 

  Mental health assessments, short term counseling for depression, anxiety, gender identity, and referrals for long term therapy for on-going conditions.

• PrEP (and PEP) Services: 

  HIV-prevention counseling utilzing pre-exposure prophylaxis, medication adherence support, and navigation to health insurance enrollment & patient drug assistance program if necessary.

• Comprehensive Sexual Health Services: 

  Rapid HIV Testing, STD testing and treatment, access to PEP and PrEP, viral hepatitis testing, and vaccinations.

• Access to  Our Secure Patient Portal:

  A secure and convenient way to communicate with your primary medical provider, ask for medication refills, review your visit summary and lab results, and receive important health information.

• On-Site Pharmacy (Coming Soon):

  Apicha CHC patients will be able to fill their prescription at Apicha CHC and have access to reduced cost medication. You will not need to worry that you cannot get your medication on time or that you cannot afford it. Our pharmacists at our NYC medical clinic will work with your doctor to make sure that your medication is paid for by your health plan or if you are uninsured they will look for available resources for you.

Specialty Health Services

• HIV Specialty Care: 

  All our primary medical providers also specialize in HIV – you do not have to worry about being identified as HIV positive by seeing a particular provider. Your dedicated provider will take care not only of your HIV but any other medical condition you might have. This way, you don’t need to see multiple doctors and you can be sure that you are in good hands. 

  You will get regular checkups for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, STDs. You will get necessary vaccines and cancer screenings appropriate for you. Getting your HIV care at Apicha CHC also means receiving annual mental health and nutrition assessments and counseling if needed. Our dedicated case managers that will help you manage your disease. An example of our excellent HIV work is the fact that 92% of our patients have a suppressed Viral Load.

  Anal Cancer Prevention Program: One of our newest services is offering our patients anal pap smears and, if needed, high resolution anoscopy and treatment for abnormalities.

• Transgender Health Clinic: 

  We are committed to providing whole person Primary Medical Care to address the distinct needs of transgender and gender non-conforming, gender variant and genderqueer individuals.
  
  Specific services include: initiation and maintenance of hormone therapy; annual physicals; regular checkups for diabetes; cholesterol, blood pressure, HIV and STD testing; vaccines.
  
  Annual mental health assessments and short term counseling if needed or referral for ongoing therapy. Our case managers can also help you with many things from finding helping you with name and gender marker changes to helping you get transgender affirming surgeries if that is what you choose.

Have a few more questions about Apicha CHC? Check out our FAQ page today!

Supplemental Services

We also have supplemental services for those individuals who have had trouble receiving healthcare in prior situations because of language barriers, lack of health insurance, and other reasons.

Some of our supplemental services include:

• Insurance Enrollment Assistance:

  If you are uninsured we can help you find out if you qualify for insurance and we can help you get an insurance that is right for you. If you do not qualify for insurance, you might be eligible for state programs like ADAP and PrEP AP.

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Enrollment Assistance:

  If you have a hard time making ends meet and do not have enough money to buy food for you and your family, our staff can help apply for the SNAP, formerly known as food stamps.

• Transportation Assistance: 

  We know that sometimes finding money to buy a Metrocard to go to your doctor’s appointment can be difficult. That is why patients who live below 100% of the federal poverty level or have Medicaid can get a two way metro card when they come for appointments.

• Access to Services in Your Language:

  We believe all patients have the right to healthcare they understand. We have Spanish, Cantonese and Mandarin speaking medical providers, access to a professional language line, and also bilingual staff who are trained to assist in interpretation. 

Our Knowledgeable Providers

While we have plenty of primary medical providers that have a particular expertise in transgender or HIV/AIDS care, they are also experts in numerous other aspects of quality healthcare, so you can know your health is in the right hands. 

Some of the Apicha CHC providers you might see around the clinic:

• Dr. Robert Murayama, Chief Medical Officer:

  Dr. Murayama has over 20 years experience specializing in the medical care of people living with HIV/AIDS, and in primary care for the LGBT community. He oversees Apicha CHC‘s clinic as well as provides primary care. 
   

• Sara Ponce, Nurse Practitioner:

  Sara Ponce joined Apicha Community Health Center’s primary care team in 2011. She specializes in Family Practice and HIV/AIDS. 
   

• Susanne Rendeiro, Nurse Practitioner:

  A medical professional with extensive experience serving LGBT patients and people living with HIV infection, Susanne Rendeiro provides primary care and specializes in Family Practice and HIV/AIDS.
   

• Emmet Phipps, Nurse Practitioner:

  Emmet joined Apicha Community Health Center’s primary care team in 2015.  They have provided care to HIV + and LGBTQ communities in different capacities for 10 years. Emmet has a particular interest in the health of transgender individuals, the treatment of HIV and Hepatitis C, and working to provide body-positive, sex-positive, gender non-conforming/transgender affirming medical care to all of their patients.
   

• Dr. Ian Tang, Physician:

  Coming from a background in Infectious Diseases, Dr. Tang joined Apicha CHC‘s medical team in 2013 to serve as a primary care physician. 
   

• Jun Matsuyoshi, Director of Mental Health Services: 

  Since 2010, Jun Matsuyoshi has served as Director of Mental Health Services. She coordinates psychosocial assessments, crisis intervention services and counseling for all patients at Apicha Community Health Center. 
   

• Dr. Jean Dickson, Psychiatrist:

  Dr. Jean serves as the staff psychiatrist at Apicha Community Health Center and is board certified in Psychiatry and Neurology. He provides psychiatric care for all patients including evaluating, diagnosing and managing acute and chronic mental health conditions.
   

• Alan Lee, Registered Dietitian:

  Alan serves as a Registered Dietitian at Apicha Community Health Center. He specializes in developing nutrition programs.
  
   

• Adrian Costello, Behavioral Health Specialist:

  Adrian graduated from Hunter College School of Social Work in 2010. He is interested in the ways that trauma and oppression can impact both mental and physical health and is particularly enthusiastic about de-stigmatizing mental health issues and providing support around gender and sexuality. 

If you have been looking for any of the healthcare services, or supplemental services, we mentioned above, no matter who you are, we would love to serve you!

If you have a few more questions about Apicha CHC and what we do, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page! Still have some questions? Please contact us, we want to hear from you!

If you think you might be ready to schedule an appointment, please click here, or click the banner below, to request an appointment, and an Apicha CHC staff member will be in touch with you shortly! 

We'll see you soon!