12 Gay City News Impact Awards 2020
HONOREE
DR. MARK BAEHSER
CLINICAL DIRECTOR, JUDSON HEALTH CARE CENTER/ NYC HEALTH +
HOSPITALS/ GOTHAM HEALTH
Dr. Mark Baehser, a pediatrician, is the clinical director of Judson
Health Care Center, a Gotham Health site located on Spring Street in
Lower Manhattan that is part of NYC Health + Hospitals, the nation’s
largest municipal healthcare system.
Judson’s Pride Health Center is a primary care facility focused on
the needs of LGBTQ community members, providing culturally informed
and fully integrated care for both their physical and their behavioral
health needs. The Center’s aim is to provide easy access to robust mental health and wellness services. The nine-member
team has fl uency in both Spanish and Chinese.
Among the primary care services offered are routine medical visits, immunization and health screenings for school
enrollment and employment, and same-day sick visits.
Sexual health services include STD and HIV testing and treatment, as well as prevention tools, including PrEP, PEP, and
condoms; pregnancy testing and options counseling; birth control and emergency contraception; and pap smears for
cervical cancer screening.
The Pride Health Center’s gender affi rming medical treatment options include hormone therapy and gender-affi rming
surgery referrals.
At Judson Health Care Center, Mark initiated and directly oversees The Bridge Program, a primary care service for
adolescents and young adults, ages 12 to 34, with a specifi c focus on youth growing into adulthood, particularly those
from the LGBTQ community. The Bridge aims to empower its clients to take charge of their health by providing specialized
services focused on prevention, relationship-building, and ease of accessing needed services.
When the COVID crisis this past spring shuttered many facilities providing healthcare to New Yorkers, Judson Health Care
Center scrambled to keep its offerings easily available, temporarily relocating to Gotham Health, Gouverneur on Madison
Street on the Lower East Side.
“As New Yorkers experience a reduction of some healthcare services due to the Coronavirus pandemic, NYC Health +
Hospitals understands the importance of continuing to reach LGBTQ communities,” Michelle Lewis, CEO of NYC Health +
Hospitals/ Gotham Health, said at the time.
As with other NYC Health + Hospitals facilities, Judson Health Care Center offers care regardless of the ability to pay,
of immigration status, and, of course, of gender identity and sexual orientation. Cost for services varies depending on a
patient’s health insurance, and NYC Health + Hospitals features an online resource allowing individuals to check whether
their insurance is accepted.
Mark is a graduate of Fordham University and completed his medical training at SUNY Downstate in East Flatbush,
Brooklyn.