Latest news with #JuanBenitez
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Kind Clinic celebrates 10th anniversary in Austin
AUSTIN (KXAN) — This Pride month, local LGBTQ+ and HIV prevention nonprofit Texas Health Action celebrates a decade of service to the Austin community through its Kind Clinic. Kind Clinic began in 2015 as THA's Austin PrEP Access Project, which worked to help locals get the HIV-prevention drug PrEP. The first physical Kind Clinic location opened in 2017 on 40th Street. Since then, THA has expanded and opened clinics in San Antonio and Dallas. While the direct history of Kind Clinic only goes back to 2015, THA's story began with the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s, according to a timeline created by the nonprofit. THA Chief Advancement Officer Juan Benitez said that many medical providers weren't willing to offer the HIV prevention drug PrEP after it became available. '[Kind Clinic and Texas Health Action] is really rooted in that foundation of community members responding to a need and a lack of providers, which we have seen throughout the history of queer people. It's what we saw in the 80s, at the height of the HIV and AIDS epidemic,' Benitez said. Currently, two Kind Clinics operate in Austin: one at 101 W Koenig Lane and another at 2800 S I-35 Frontage Rd #103. 'We're fortunate to be able to celebrate 10 years of kindness and 10 years of Kind Clinic, where now we serve almost 30,000 people every single year across the state of Texas, but we know that there are thousands more who need access to the life-saving care that we provide,' he said. According to Benitez, the Kind Patient Assistance Program has provided $1.6 million to help cover patients' costs. The fund has also helped patients get rides to and from the clinic. It is funded by private donors and organizations. PREVIOUS | LGBTQ+ health clinic seeks donations amid 'uncertain' federal funding environment 'That $1.6 million helps us identify all of those challenges that a patient has and we remove them so that they don't have to worry about whether they're going to get their medications or not,' he said. 'Texas is the most uninsured state in the country. About 20% of Texans do not have health insurance … our patient base is 40% uninsured.' The clinic has also started to help uninsured patients enroll in health insurance 'We go as far as helping them pay for those premiums if they get health insurance on marketplace. It's really a patchwork of funds here, whether they're private, public or even individual donors, that help make this care possible to begin with,' Benitez said. As for where THA will be in another 10 years? Benitez said they plan to go as far as the local LGBTQ+ community wants and needs. 'Queer people exist here and their healthcare needs are just as valid as anyone else's,' he said. 'We are everywhere as LGBTQIA+ communities and people impacted by HIV. Across the state and every county, every corner of Texas, there's someone living there who needs our services.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
LGBTQ+ health clinic seeks donations amid ‘uncertain' federal funding enviornment
AUSTIN (KXAN) – In a time of financial uncertainty, Kind Clinic is seeking community donations so it can continue to provide its clients with consistent care. Every day, hundreds of Texans walk into Kind Clinic for sexually transmitted infection testing, HIV care and prevention and mental health services. While around 20% of Texans are underinsured, approximately 40% of Kind Clinic's patients lack health insurance, according to the clinic. 'We're really helping close healthcare gaps for individuals who either have health insurance but can't afford the cost of their medications or outright don't have health insurance,' said Juan Benitez, the chief advancement officer for Texas Health Action. Last week, Austin Public Health leaders spoke at a Public Health Committee meeting, telling city council members that APH had lost around $15 million in federal grant funding and 50 jobs. It said there is a possibility that it could lose even more grant funding soon. While Kind Clinic does not rely solely on APH funding – its funding comes from multiple sources – APH provided Kind Clinic and the Texas Health Action around $1.35 million in its 2023-2024 budget for STI and HIV testing. 'We're looking at getting renewed,' Benitez said. 'We cannot just eliminate STI testing and treatment at Kind Clinic; [that would] definitely leave a void of care for Austinites.' Kind Clinic said it has events people can attend and new programs that will help ensure Kind Clinic can continue its mission. 'We really are not just a pillar for the LGBTQIA+ community and those living with HIV and impacted by HIV,' Benitez said. 'We're a pillar for public health at large here in Central Texas.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
