ORLANDO | SPEKTRUM Health hopes to become the go-to LGBTQ healthcare provider in Central Florida now that its Orlando location is officially open.
The clinic’s mission is “to provide top quality comprehensive primary healthcare options for LGBTQA+ individuals,” reads the organization’s mission statement.SPEKTRUM is a nonprofit provider that offers a wide selection of healthcare options including primary care, STD treatment and prevention, med-psych management, HRT for transgender patients, weight management and HIV treatment and prevention, including PrEP.
SPEKTRUM Health is the brainchild of Joseph Knoll, APRN. Knoll is an openly-gay nurse practitioner who wanted to start SPEKTRUM because he saw a healthcare need in the community.
“There are other organizations in town that cater to the LGBTQ community,” Knoll says. “I’ve either been a patient or been employed by several of those other organizations, and I saw things that I liked and saw things that I didn’t like. I took my experiences and merged that with what my goal and my mission was.”
SPEKTRUM Health opened its doors to its physical location on Feb. 1 at 8000 South Orange Ave., Suite 210.
“It’s not a huge facility we have here,” Knoll says, “but we have a small office because accessibility is key.”
Knoll’s focus with SPEKTRUM is to create a place where his patients can build the right healthcare to fit their lives. For Knoll, that includes offering a healthcare office for patients to visit, having an option available for in-home visits and, in today’s fast-paced digital age, offering virtual health.
“A lot of what I do is on the prevention side which is perfect for virtual healthcare,” says Knoll.
Patients can log on through a phone, laptop or tablet anywhere and consult with their provider. Knoll has been offering virtual healthcare to his patients for some time now and is carrying that service to SPEKTRUM.
“My hope is that we will become the go-to for LGBTQ people for all things that virtual healthcare is appropriate for,” Knoll says, “particularly when it comes to HIV management, PrEP and HRT.”
Virtual healthcare also means that patients receiving maintenance care from SPEKTRUM don’t have to change doctors if they relocate. Knoll currently sees patients in 10 different states.
The name SPEKTRUM comes from Knoll’s policy that he treats all patients with care and dignity regardless of where they fall on the LGBTQIA+ spectrum (SPEKTRUM Health uses a “K” instead of a “C” to avoid being confused with the communications company of the same name).
SPEKTRUM Health invites you to the clinic’s grand opening on Feb. 13 from 5:30-8 p.m. Come out and enjoy light bites, tour the facilities and learn about all the services and healthcare options they offer. For more information, visit Spektrum.Health.
