Einstein magazine's story "A Welcoming Place for LGBTQ Patients" in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue.
To the Editor:
I was happy to see the feature story in the Winter/Spring 2022 issue, “Two New Centers Focus on LGBTQ Patients.” However, I was disappointed to read a sentence in the article that minimized my efforts and those of my dedicated staff. From 1996 to 2013, before the Oval Center was created, we provided state-of-the-art care for people with sexually transmitted infections (STIs) at a major training center at Montefiore designated as the New York State Department of Health STD Center of Excellence. After providing educational training for residents, fellows, attendings, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants in the morning, we saw patients until everyone was seen, often finishing after 7 p.m., which meant 11-hour days, and we did that for 17 years. Our diverse staff took care of anyone who needed care, whether a patient was HIV positive or HIV negative, and in many cases we waived patients’ fees. We built a premier program for patients with STIs and made sure that the people of New York had the highest level of medical care.
Jeffrey Gilbert, M.D. ’75
Medical Director, STIs, BioReference Laboratories, Elmwood Park, New Jersey
