Whitman-Walker Health is known as a first responder to the AIDS epidemic and well as a leader in HIV and AIDS education, prevention, diagnosis and treatment and LGBTQ care, but Whitman-Walker is much more than that and this year will continue to expand its health care services to the region鈥檚 community at a new location in the District of Columbia.
CEO Naseema Shafi sat down for 草莓传媒鈥檚 Get on Top of Your Health series to talk about the expansion and the vast array of medical services provides to the community. She shared details about the services available now from the health care organization that began as a small D.C. clinic in 1973.
Gender affirming services
Gender affirming services 鈥渁re provided in a culturally competent way by people who understand clinical standards of care,鈥� Shafi said.
鈥淔or people seeking this type of help, they鈥檙e going to want to be in environments where they鈥檙e understood, where they don鈥檛 have to explain who they are and where the clinicians who are treating them understand the kinds of standards, in particular, around hormone treatments,鈥� she said, adding, 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something that we do here very well at Whitman-Walker.鈥�
Gender affirming services also include legal services.
鈥淥ur legal services team will work with patients to change their name and gender markers on documents, and think about your license, passport and insurance cards 鈥� so everyone gets your name right,鈥� Shafi said.
Patients can also talk about treatment plans or get referrals if they鈥檙e interested in surgery. 鈥淲hitman-Walker Health works with local surgeons, and can help patients navigate that process,鈥� she said.
Adolescent care
Care for transgender and gender expansive adolescents is also a priority at Whitman-Walker Health. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been providing care for people under 18 for a few years now,鈥� Shafi said. It鈥檚 not as large as we鈥檇 like, and we are expanding that program.鈥�
The health care provider wants to add behavioral health care services and peer support programs.
Dental care
Whitman-Walker Health has provided dental care since the 1980s and was one of the first to provide dental care to people with HIV/AIDS.
鈥淥ver 16,000 patients were served last year,鈥� Shafi said, 鈥渨ith big expansion plans coming.鈥�
Whitman-Walker Health also provides various kinds of treatments with state-of-the art X-ray technology and other services found in any modern dental practices.
Women鈥檚 services
For people who identify as female, Whitman-Walker Health provides an array of preventative services with the goal of making sure women return annually.
鈥淲e want to make sure that we鈥檙e checking your blood work, your lipid panels and cholesterol,鈥� Shafi said. But 鈥渢here鈥檚 also cervical health, which means we want to make sure we鈥檙e doing cancer screenings.鈥�
Patients can get mammography referrals and support in understanding test results, she said.
New building, expanded research and care coming soon
With expanded care comes the need for a bigger facility. Whitman-Walker expects to open its new Max Robinson Center this fall on the St. Elizabeths campus in Southeast D.C.
鈥淲e will be able to expand health care services to more than 10,000 new patients once we鈥檙e fully operational. Many of the community members know we鈥檝e done a large expansion in Northwest D.C. It鈥檚 high time we get that done in Southeast, so we鈥檙e really looking forward to it,鈥� Shafi said.
The new facility will provide services for children as young as 13, with spaces to do schoolwork, use Wi-Fi and wait in a private area that is separate from adult patients.
To learn more about these and other health services, . And to discover additional tips and tactics to get on top of your health, click here.
3 other things you might not know about Whitman-Walker Health
- Whitman Walker has two pharmacies in D.C.: one in Southeast, in Anacostia, and one in Northwest, in Logan Circle. They are both open to the community. The pharmacy staff is familiar with navigating the complex world of insurance and with all the many ways that medicines interact with one another.
- Whitman-Walker takes private insurance as well as Medicare and Medicaid: Insurance navigators can help if you are not insured, have a gap in insurance between employers or if you鈥檙e a Medicare Part D participant.
鈥淥ur team will go through all of that with you. We believe really strongly in people having insurance, and we will do everything we can to keep people insured,鈥� said Whitman-Walker Health CEO Naseema Shafi.
- Whitman-Walker makes doctor-patient relationships a priority: Not only will you see the same medical provider almost every time you come in, you鈥檒l also able to see the same dentist, nutritionist, acupuncturist or other care provider to advance your health goals.
