Steven Tamayo can sum up Kind Clinic’s HIV testing and treatment programs in just four words.
“We are that girl,” says Tamayo, the clinic’s director of community health.
Just look at the numbers. Between January and April, Kind Clinic helped 2,300 patients start PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a once-daily pill that’s up to 99% effective at reducing HIV risk. In the same time, more than 2,500 people took advantage of Kind’s free testing services, and 260 people newly diagnosed with HIV started treatment with the clinic.
A sex-positive, judgement-free zone, Kind Clinic serves clients of every identity and financial status, with a focus on the LGBTQIA+ community. To help mark its 10th anniversary, clinic operator Texas Health Action gave The Barbed Wire an exclusive look at the HIV care model leading the way in Texas and beyond.
This mission started in 2015, when community activists and volunteers founded the Austin PrEP Access Project. The founders’ goal: to get live-saving medication into the hands of people who needed it.
“There were very few doctors who were prescribing PrEP,” says Tamayo, who started as a Kind Clinic volunteer. “There were long waitlists. Many doctors simply didn’t know what it was, or they weren’t as knowledgeable about working with the LGBTQIA+ community.”
Kind Clinic Chief Advancement Officer Juan Benitez was one of the first clients. Back then, he was on a coming out journey and hadn’t been able to find a doctor who would prescribe PrEP.
“I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by a great community of queer people in Austin,” he says.
Today, the clinic has locations in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas and offers virtual care statewide. It serves almost 30,000 patients annually.
Kind Clinic provides comprehensive testing for HIV and other STIs, with walk-in services available at most locations. In addition to PrEP, clients can access PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), a 28-day prescription taken within 72 hours of exposure to HIV. Almost 95% of people who test positive choose to begin their treatment with Kind’s providers. There’s also a free virtual support group for people living with HIV.
Medications are often provided at little to no cost, and services are offered with or without health insurance.
The number of people living with HIV in Texas has steadily increased since 2014. While the virus can affect anyone, some groups are at higher risk, like the transgender community and Black and Hispanic men who have sex with men. Kind Clinic works to reach these priority populations in particular.
“Our staff are reflective of the patients they serve,” Tamayo says. “A good portion are queer, trans, or people of color. They share lived experiences.”
That’s part of the affirming care philosophy at Kind Clinic. Many clients have had past medical experiences tinted with shame or discrimination. Kind’s culturally informed providers and patient advocates provide space for them to get the answers they need.
Nurse practitioner Cynthia Stewart provides care at Kind Clinic’s Central Austin location. Earlier in her career, she worked as an adherence nurse, and she saw patients dying from AIDS because they couldn’t afford medicine. Things are different here.
“Our goal is HIV prevention, period,” Stewart says. “We work hard daily, in and out, just making sure this is happening through PrEP and PEP.”
However, if a patient is unhoused or experiencing food insecurity, keeping up with a pill regimen may not be their top priority. What’s more, some clients lack reliable access to transportation, which keeps them from their treatment visits and the pharmacy. Kind strives to help folks overcome barriers like these with the help of patient advocates.
Prevention also includes treating people already living with HIV. Treatment at Kind Clinic focuses on reaching viral suppression, or an undetectable viral load. When a person is undetectable, they cannot transmit the virus to their sexual partners or anyone else.
“I love telling my patients, ‘If the plan for your life was to have babies in the future, guess what? You can have babies without HIV,’ and their eyes light up,” Stewart says.
Still, persistent stigma around sexual healthcare and HIV poses a challenge to the clinic’s work. The political climate has fanned those flames. But Benitez feels galvanized.
“As a healthcare organization rooted in community, it is our responsibility to ensure continuity and stability, not just as a healthcare provider, but also as a representation of a much larger queer movement, as well,” he says.
So this Pride Month, Kind Clinic is sending a message: “We are everywhere.” The clinic serves clients statewide, and LGBTQIA+ visibility is more important than ever. Revolutionary medicines like PrEP and PEP keep queer people alive. Benitez believes that has the power to preserve the community’s history at a crucial moment.
“[It] allows you to unlock limitless potential for who you are,” he says, “and who you can become.”
