Howard Brown Health Center

The Howard Brown Health Center is a Midwest, USA, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) health care organization,^[1] addressing the health care needs of people in the LGBT community.

In 1974, a group of medical students founded Howard Brown Health Center as a response to rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases among gay men. In subsequent years, and with the advent of the AIDS crisis, Howard Brown Health Center developed services including primary medical care, mental health counselling, substance abuse services, prevention and education, research programs and case management. Howard Brown Health Center, named for Dr. Howard Junior Brown, was incorporated in 1976 as “Howard Brown Memorial Clinic”.

In 1991, the Howard Brown Health Center was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.^[2]

Howard Brown Health Center's main location is in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, one with the city's highest incidence of HIV/AIDS. Those aged 24 and under may access services at Howard Brown Health Center's Broadway Youth Center (BYC). The BYC is located in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood and is a program of Howard Brown and its community partners. The following services are offered at the BYC: daily health and education workshops, HIV/STD testing, case management, medical care, counselling, and social and support groups.

Today, Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) is one of the nation's largest health care and research organizations, primarily serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and its allies. It is the largest such organization in the Midwest and serves more than 16,000 adults and youth each year throughout the region. HBHC provides primary medical care, behavioral health services, and specialty chronic and infectious disease services, and conducts clinical and behavioral research.

See also

• Howard Junior Brown

External links

• Howard Brown Health Center

Notes