During Pride month, celebrations and strides made by the LGBTQ+ community are celebrated.

Dr. Richard E. Greene, director of LGBTQ + services at NYC Health and Hospitals, joined “News All Day” on Wellness Monday to talk about the community’s health care needs, including gaps in access to some services.

Greene believes that access is one of the biggest problems that the LGBTQ+ community faces. He feels that’s because they often have health care providers who aren’t able to meet their needs. But it’s important to find a health care provider one is comfortable with ensuring they can stay healthy.

Regarding gender-affirming care, Greene says that hormones are typically not given to children but rather hormone-blockers that are “well tested medications.” Surgeries are taken seriously because they’re usually irreversible. Greene says that they wouldn’t do a surgery on anyone before the age of consent.

According to the CDC, between 2015 and 2019, new HIV infections in the country dropped 8% or to just under 35,000 people. Greene says part of the decrease, especially from decades ago, is due to getting people with HIV on medication sooner, which helps prevent it from spreading, as well as the use of PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis).

For more information, go to https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/services/lgbtq-health-care-services.