First health clinic in U.S. owned by Black transgender woman opens in Portsmouth

Raven Payne
·2 min read

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A new health clinic will be opening in downtown Portsmouth this week.

It’s called the ETSI Health Clinic, which stands for Ending Transmission of Sexual Infections. Founder and Executive Director Nyonna Byers told 10 On Your Side it’s historic for two reasons. Byers said there’s no other clinic in Portsmouth offering direct care like they will.

Byers is also the first Black transgender woman to own a health clinic in the U.S., Byers said. The clinic will offer a wide range of services.

“We are providing free HIV and STI testing as well as treatment,” Byers said. “We also offer mental health services through referrals and through one of our contracted psychologists. We also offer substance abuse services and referrals. We will also be providing, particularly for the transgender community, hormone therapy that will go with a combo test — hormone therapy, HIV testing, STI testing.”

All of this will come at no charge for patients because of grants from Gilead Sciences of $236,000, and $33,000 from the Virginia Department of Health. At the end of the day the goal is to end the HIV/Aids epidemic, Byers added.

“So you have to educate everyone on not just HIV, but all sexually contracted diseases,” Byers said. “A lot of people don’t, you know, like to have that uncomfortable conversation but it’s a conversation that needs to be held in households.”

Byers told 10 On Your Side one of the hallmarks of the clinic is that it was made for everyone.

“We are not turning nobody away,” Byers said. “So, it’s like a one stop shop. You can come here, you can get your prep, you could come here, you could get your doxy prep and what doxy prep is is a prevention for STIs. You could come here and get treated if you have STIs. If you have HIV, if someone tests positive, we’re going to counter them, we’re going to treat them.”

The clinic will have its grand opening on Friday and will be fully open to the public next Monday.

Check with WAVY.com for updates.

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