LGBTQ+ Services - NYC Health + Hospitals

NYC Health + Hospitals is committed to empowering lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer+ (LGBTQ+) New Yorkers to live their healthiest lives possible. Our health system provides responsive, compassionate and respectful care in a welcoming environment. We have a patient-centered approach toward ensuring meaningful access, regardless of language spoken or immigration status.

NYC Health + Hospitals was the first U.S. municipal health care system to mandate LGBTQ+ training for all staff members in 2011. In 2014, NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan became the first municipal hospital to open a health care center dedicated to the needs of LGBTQ+ patients. Today we have seven of these Pride Health Centers.

Watch videos on LGBTQ+ Healthcare

Partners in LGBTQ+ Health Care

Welcoming LGBTQ+ Patients

Putting Our Patients First

All 18 of our eligible facilities earned the “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” designation in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s Healthcare Equality Index (HEI) in 2024 — a recognition these facilities have received every year since 2015. The HEI is the leading national benchmarking tool for LGBTQ+ inclusive policies and best practices in healthcare facilities.

All 5 of our eligible long-term care facilities earned the “LGBTQ+ Long-Term Care Equality Leader” designation in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation and SAGE’s Long-Term Care Equality Index (LEI) in 2023. The LEI is the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey of residential long-term care and senior housing communities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of LGBTQ+ residents, visitors, and employees.

How We Care for You

As a member of the LGBTQ+ communities, we understand you have special health care needs and concerns. To better serve the health care needs of the LGBTQ+ community, NYC Health + Hospitals has seven Pride Health Centers: four in Manhattan, one in Brooklyn and two in the Bronx. Our Pride Health Centers serve as important spaces for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers to receive gender-affirming health care. Providers in these centers have received extensive training to provide culturally responsive care. Our clinicians are here to address your health care needs and answer all your questions in a safe and welcoming environment.

Services include:

Primary care, such as immunizations, hormone therapy and surgical referrals
Behavioral health services and referrals
Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP)
HIV testing and treatment
Sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment
Insurance navigation and enrollment
Puberty blockers at Jacobi and Judson
Affirming OB/GYN care at Bellevue, Gouverneur, Jacobi, Judson, Lincoln and Metropolitan
Gender-affirming surgery at Metropolitan and Lincoln

Pride Health Center Locations

Gender-Affirming Surgery

NYC Health + Hospitals is proud to offer gender-affirming services including hormone therapy, puberty blockers and gender-affirming surgeries.

NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln and NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan offer gender-affirming surgery on the chest, also known as top surgery. Depending on the needs of the patient, the procedures can involve breast implants, breast augmentation, mastectomy, or removal of breast tissue.

Metropolitan offers top surgeries to transgender and gender non-conforming patients in line with their insurance plan and medical provider’s criteria.

Lincoln also offers the following gender-affirming surgeries:

Hysterectomy: to remove the uterus
Oophorectomy: to remove ovaries
Hairline lowering: to lower or reshape the hairline of someone who has naturally higher hairlines, to reduce the space between the eyebrows and the hairline
Frontal bone reshaping/frontal sinus reset: to reshape and contour the forehead
Frontal sinus reset: to move the anterior wall of the frontal sinus to a softer position, which affects every aspect of the face, from the forehead to the eye sockets and the cheekbones
Genioplasty and angle resection: to reshape the jaw and cheeks for a rounder, softer aesthetic
Tracheal shave: to reduce Adam’s apple without leaving a scar
Rhinoplasty: to reshape the nose
Cheekbone augmentation: to enhance cheekbones or make cheeks look fuller
Septoplasty: to fix a crooked or deviated septum

Our facilities with the 2024 “LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader” designation include:

NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue	NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst	NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Belvis	NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Cumberland	NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, East New York	NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Gouverneur	NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Morrisania	NYC Health + Hospitals/Queens
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Sydenham	NYC Health + Hospitals/South Brooklyn Health
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Vanderbilt	NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull

Our facilities with the 2023 “LGBTQ+ Long-Term Care Equality Leader” designation include:

NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter	NYC Health + Hospitals/McKinney
NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler	NYC Health + Hospitals/Sea View
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur

LGBTQ+ Patient Information and Resources

The following is a brief list of our LGBTQ+ responsive policies and resources for our patients:

LGBTQ+ Services at NYC Health + Hospitals

Transgender Health Care Resource Guide

Patient and Resident Bill of Rights

Visitation policy: Patients have the right to designate any visitors, including a spouse, domestic partner, a same-sex domestic partner, another family member or a friend. NYC Health + Hospitals does not restrict, limit or otherwise deny visitation privileges based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability. All visitors designated by the patient or support person where appropriate shall enjoy visitation privileges that are no more restrictive than those that immediate family members would enjoy. Patients may withdraw or deny consent to visitation to anyone at any time. Visitation hours may vary by facility.

Health Care Proxy Form

NYC Single-Sex Facility Policy (Executive Order 16) and Commission on Human Rights Legal Enforcement Guidance

NYC Health + Hospitals Plan to Enhance Equitable Care

MetroPlusHealth Health Plan’s LGBT Resource Guide and Information on Coverage

LGBTQ+ Community Resources

LGBTQ+ Health Information

Resources for Health Care Centers and Providers

Creating an LGBTQ Affirming Clinic – Resource Guide

Transgender Health Care – Resource Guide

Contact Us

For more information about our unique LGBTQ+ health care or any other LGBTQ+ related issues, please email: lgbtq@nychhc.org.

NYC Health + Hospitals provides advanced and sensitive LGBTQ+ health care services at select hospitals and neighborhood health centers. We have full wellness teams in every borough with extended hours that fit your busy schedule, dedicated to serving you and your family from the very first visit. Learn more about our extended hours.

Find a hospital or a neighborhood health center near you.

NYC Health + Hospitals provides high-quality health care to all New Yorkers, regardless of their ability to pay. We can also help you find health insurance if you need it. Learn more about MetroPlusHealth, our affordable and comprehensive health insurance plan. You can also visit the NYC Care website to learn more about our health care access program for care services at little or no-cost to New Yorkers who can’t afford or do not qualify for health insurance.