The Pride Center at Equality Park has officially opened its new no-cost Sexual Health Clinic, expanding access to HIV prevention, STI care, and sexual health services while marking a major milestone after a year of financial and operational challenges.
The clinic, which opened July 2 at the organization's Wilton Manors campus, offers rapid HIV testing, STI screening and treatment, PrEP and PEP services, laboratory testing, and medication assistance regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
For CEO Robert Boo, the opening represents far more than a new program.
"The funding cuts have been quite a challenge," Boo said, referring to the loss of federal HIV prevention funding that took effect last year.
The Pride Center previously received Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funding to provide community-based HIV testing. When that funding ended, the organization was forced to reduce operations and eliminate roughly 20% to 30% of its staff.
Rather than scale back its mission, the nonprofit decided to expand it.
After being accepted into a new program in February, the Pride Center undertook what Boo called a "Herculean lift" to build, license and staff the clinic before a critical July 1 deadline. Missing it would have delayed the opening by another three months.
"The center has made the decision to invest in this clinic," Boo said. "We're actually taking money out of our reserves to build out the clinic, hire the staff, and get the sexual health clinic going."
While South Florida already has several sexual health clinics, Boo said the Pride Center offers something different by combining medical care with behavioral health, care navigation, wellness programming, yoga, meditation, and other support services under one roof.
"It's not just for the LGBTQ community," Boo said. "It is entirely for the entire community."
The clinic will focus on serving marginalized populations while welcoming anyone seeking sexual healthcare.
The new clinic also creates a path toward long-term sustainability. Patients may use any pharmacy they choose, but those who fill prescriptions through the Pride Center's partner pharmacies help generate revenue that is reinvested into patient care.
Those funds can help cover insurance deductibles, medication copays, and other costs that might otherwise prevent someone from staying on HIV prevention medication.
"Our whole initiative for the past 20 years has been trying to reduce HIV infections," Boo said. "We want to ensure that we no longer remain the number one and number two counties in the country for new HIV cases."
Boo called the clinic "just the beginning," saying the organization hopes to expand healthcare services even further in the coming years.
The clinic is part of Wellness at The Center, an integrated initiative that also includes behavioral health services, care navigation, community outreach, and holistic wellness programming.
Current drop-in hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:30 to 7:30 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. Appointments are encouraged and can be made by calling 954-463-9005, ext. 209, or emailing wellness@pridecenterflorida.org.
