For Women’s History Month, we are spotlighting the services that GMHC provides specifically for women, no matter their HIV status.
“Everyone’s health matters. Inadequate health care and sexually transmitted diseases like HIV impact women, as well as men and gender non-conforming people. GMHC realizes that, so we put a lot into women’s services,” said Program Coordinator for Women’s Services DB.
These include a monthly support group called Women Changing Lives, workshops on healthy relationships and Narcan training, and healthcare navigation services for women living with HIV.
The biggest challenges for the women that GMHC serves, DB added, are obtaining adequate medical care, housing difficulties, and access to food. Nearly all of GMHC’s services are open to women, including supportive housing, food and nutrition, HIV testing and prevention, and mental health counseling.
“We want to support both your physical and mental health—and meet you where you are in your journey,” DB said.
Women Changing Lives
GMHC offers a monthly virtual support group called Women Changing Lives to provide a safe outlet for anyone who identifies as a woman to talk about their health and self-care, as well as lighter topics like cooking. About 20 to 25 women usually attend, ranging from ages 18 to 60, Burke said.
“The group offers support and community to help women assert themselves to protect their sexual health,” DB said. Along with discussions about HIV and STI prevention, birth control, and asking partners to use condoms, she added, “It’s also a safe space to just socialize, especially for people who are going through a lot.”
The Women Changing Lives support group arose from a Healthy Relationships workshop on how to advocate for oneself sexually.
GMHC also offers the Triple Play Workshop for women. Participants discuss safer-sex practices, PrEP/PEP (pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV prevention and treatment), and receive training on overdose prevention that includes a Narcan (naxolone) kit. Narcan is a potentially life-saving drug that can reverse opioid overdose. DB presents the 90-minute workshop at a variety of venues, ranging from community-based organizations who are GMHC partners to yoga events and women’s empowerment seminars.
“We address sexual education questions like asking a partner about their HIV status and talking about using condoms,” DB said, adding that she always carries condoms to give to clients.
HIV Treatment and Prevention
Client Navigator Nelly Melendez supports women living with HIV through the agency’s comprehensive HIV Navigation Services. Melendez, a native Spanish-speaker, helps our women clients navigate the complexities of the health care and social services systems to access medical services, including insurance coverage and linkage to medical care.
GMHC also assists our women clients with treatment adherence and mental health services. “If a client needs to be accompanied to a medical appointment, we are happy to assist,” DB said. “Individuals living with HIV often need extra care. They might not have family to help them with medical appointments or changes in health care coverage.”
HIV prevention for women is too often overlooked, DB said. “A lot of people don’t realize that you can contract HIV through vaginal sex,” DB said. “Many women think they are not as at risk for HIV—that it’s only contracted by men who have sex with men—so there’s a lot of myth-busting that needs to happen.”
She and her colleagues often refer women to the agency’s Testing Center for HIV and STI testing and linkage to PrEP for HIV prevention.
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