SF: New Health Center & Men’s Wellness Center Launched on Castro

In News by AHF

Event marks the relocation of the AHF Healthcare Center from nearby Church Street, where it served the community since 2009, to the heart of Castro; New site will also include a Men’s Wellness Center offering Free HIV and STD testing and treatment all in one convenient location.

SAN FRANCISCO (October 24, 2014) AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS healthcare provider in the United States, which currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 350,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide, held a ribbon-cutting and grand opening reception on October 24 to mark the relocation of one of its AHF Healthcare Centers to the heart of Castro Street in San Francisco. Dr. Lisha Wilson, AHF’s Bay Area Medical Director, who cared for over 250 HIV/AIDS patients at the former Church St. location (which this site replaces) and Dale R. Gluth, AHF’s Bay Area Regional Director, cut the ribbon at the new Castro facility. Adam Ouderkirk, AHF’s Senior Director of Program & Business Development; Albert Ruiz, AHF’s Director of Wellness Center Programs, Public Health Division; and Christopher M. Mejia, AHF’s Senior Regional Program Manager, Public Health Division, joined additional AHF staff, volunteers, community leaders and local residents at the opening ceremony.

The new site will also include an AHF Men’s Wellness Center, offering Free HIV and STD testing and treatment all in one convenient location as well as the convenience of an AHF Pharmacy right around the corner on 18th Street (4071 18th St).

“I am very happy to join in the celebration marking the opening of this new AHF Healthcare Center in the heart of the Castro, a site that allows us to continue providing comprehensive medical care and services in a convenient San Francisco location,” said Dr. Lisha Wilson, Bay Area Medical Director, AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “Being able to continue providing care for our wonderful patients, some who have been with us for over ten years, is reassuring to me and the rest of the AHF Healthcare Center team here in San Francisco.”

“We are excited to be relocating this AHF Healthcare Center to the very center of Castro Street and allow clients new and old to get the lifesaving HIV/AIDS medical care and treatment they need,” said Dale R. Gluth, AHF’s Bay Area Regional Director. “This new site also allows us to expand our services to the community with the addition of the Men’s Wellness Center, offering STD and HIV testing and treatment.”

“It is our belief that this new state-of-the-art HIV/AIDS healthcare center combined with free HIV testing services, the Men’s Wellness Center and an AHF Pharmacy conveniently located around the corner on 18th Street—a neighborhood nonprofit pharmacy, whose revenue goes right back into patient care and services—will offer the community a uniquely accessible and truly patient-centered health care experience,” said Michael Weinstein, AHF President, in a statement.

AHF has been serving clients in San Francisco since 2002 through its AHF Healthcare Center and AHF Pharmacy (at its former location on Church Street, and prior, in a South of Market location), and through its free HIV testing services. All of AHF’s 41 healthcare centers—located in 13 states and the District of Columbia—provide comprehensive, patient-centered care designed specifically for HIV-positive clients, offering access to the additional specialists, medications and services they need to be as healthy as possible.

“In addition to the clinic and adjacent pharmacy, AHF’s new Castro St. site will also house one of AHF’s innovative Men’s Wellness Centers offering Free HIV and STD testing and treatment all in one convenient location” said Albert Ruiz, Director of Wellness Center Programs for AHF’s Public Health Division. “AHF is glad to be able to offer these free services to the community and work with other local agencies and the Department of Public Health to maximize access to HIV and STD testing and treatment for the people of San Francisco.” In June, the San Francisco Examiner published a news article noting an increase in STDs, including syphilis and gonorrhea, among the MSM (men-who-have-sex-with-men) population in San Francisco.

“We always encourage people to make regular HIV and STD screening a part of their overall health maintenance plan, much like exercising and going to the dentist twice a year,” said Christopher Mejia, Senior Regional Program Manager for AHF’s Public Health Division. “It is much easier to access these services in a specialized clinic, such as the Men’s Wellness Center, and we are pleased to be able to expand the availability of these important services in the Castro.” AHF also operates a Wellness Center in Oakland’s Lake Merritt neighborhood.

 

AHF Healthcare Center/Castro & Men’s Wellness Center/Castro Hours                                

At present, the AHF Healthcare Center/Castro St. hours will remain the same as at the former location, as will the phone number (415) 552-2814:

  • Wednesdays & Fridays, 8:30am to 5:30pm.

The AHF Men’s Wellness Center [phone: 415.252.4750] hours will be:

  • Sundays, Noon to 4:00pm,
  • Mondays 4:00pm – 8:00pm

Earlier this month, the AHF Pharmacy located at the former location (the all-in-one AHF Church Street site) merged with the 18th St. AHF Pharmacy. In addition, an Out of the Closet (OTC) store at the Church St. site closed October 14th. The OTC and AHF Pharmacy staff from the Church St. site will be absorbed into other Bay Area AHF sites.

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