Tue. June 2, 2015
Chicago, IL -
Starting Monday, June 15, the Sheridan Road Walk-In Clinic at Howard Brown Health Center (HBHC) will begin to provide the full range of comprehensive sexual health screenings currently offered on a sliding fee scale, instead of the traditional $95 flat fee.
Using self-reported income, patients can get a full panel of screenings including HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, hepatitis (A, B and/or C), herpes (only if symptoms are shown) and tuberculosis, for a fee that fits within their budget.
"We've seen a trend of Walk-In-Clinic patients, either insured or uninsured that cannot afford the $95 fee, going without the full range of testing that we offer. This situation wasn't acceptable for a health clinic like Howard Brown Health Center, and we needed to innovate in order to lift access barriers and ensure that patients living at or below the poverty line can afford high-quality and culturally competent care," said Chief Operating Officer Kristin Keglovitz Baker.
"Now, a patient communicates to us their monthly income, we look at where they fall on the federal poverty level and from there we determine what these services will cost. For example, a patient who lives below the poverty line (0-100%) will pay nothing, while a low-income individual (100-300% of the poverty level) will pay $35 for these services," she added.
In addition, to broaden access further, as of June 1, the Sheridan Road Walk-In Clinic and Primary Care Services at Sheridan and the Aris clinic operate on extended hours: Fourteen hours longer each week, including the Walk-In Clinic being open every Saturday, instead of every other Saturday.
The new extended hours are:
Walk-In Clinic at HBHC (4025 N. Sheridan Rd.): Monday-Thursday (Noon to 7pm); Friday 9am-4pm; and every Saturday 9am-2pm.
HBHC Sheridan (4025 N. Sheridan Rd.): Monday-Thursday 9am-8pm, Friday 9am-5pm; and every, Saturday 9am-3pm
Aris (3245 N. Halsted St.): Monday and Friday 9am-5pm; Tuesday 10am-7pm; Wednesday and Thursday 9am-7pm; and the first and third Saturday of the month 9am-3pm.
"With more than 5,600 Walk-In Clinic patients and 12,500 primary care patients accessing our services each year, our expanding hours especially on Saturdays, allows our patients to receive services that meet their busy and hectic lives, all while promoting the importance of sexual health and knowing one's status. And by doing so, patients can continue to learn techniques and methods for safer sex with present and future partners," Keglovitz Baker concluded.
From a press release
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