Primary Care Tailored to the LGBTQ+ Community

Living your best life can be quickly derailed when unexpected illness happens. At Bywater Health, we believe the best care is specialized PREVENTIVE care. Let’s be real: a standard check-up designed by and for cisgender heterosexuals is not going to cut it . That’s why we have developed our own wellness base primary care model to ensure you benefit from the latest evidence based screening and prevention guidelines tailored to you.

Being proactive is easy- our providers have the training and experience to guide you. We understand when your sexuality is “complicated.” We know how to ensure your gender is honored while making sure your body stays health. We know how to embrace and celebrate you open relationships, polycules, kinks and fetishes. We love our community and value your place among us. Here are a few of the services we offer that make us different:

• Comprehensive Health History and Goals of Care at First Visit: We want to get to know you, not just review intake paperwork and write some prescriptions. Your fist visit may be up to one hour so that our providers have a chance to understand what is important to you and how we can support you. It also allows us time to make sure you feel we are a good fit for you- you can ask questions and we can let you know if there is anything we can’t do (we are a small boutique practice independent from any hospitals of healthcare systems so patients with certain serious illnesses or those requiring multiple specialists may need more support than we are able to offer).

• Routine STI Panels: Because some STIs don’t have symptoms and “feeling fine” may not be enough. We have in house testing ability with results in 30 minutes!

• Targeted Vaccinations: Getting the Mpox series and Meningitis B vaccine isn't "extra"—it's essential armor for the hookup scene. Bonus: one of the meningitis B vaccines protects against gonorrhea!

• Anal PAPs: Yes, the back hole needs PAP smears too for people who have anal sex to screen for anal cancer. Like cervical cancer, screening allow for early detection of cellular changes allows for quick and easy intervention. Early detection can prevent anal cancer from ever being a thing.

• Self Vaginal PAPs: For our patients AFAB who still have their cervix, we offer self PAPs to test for HPV using a vaginal swab, sparing you the discomfort of the traditional PAP. Note: if your lat PAP was abnormal or you have had needed to have follow up procedures for abnormal PAP results, we will refer you to an LGBTQ+ competent GYN as self PAPs are not reccomended.

• Fall Wellness Visits: Typically offered in the Fall because we see the majority of our patients for flu and covid vaccines, most insurance plans offer one free “Wellness” visit a year. At this visit we talk about important matters like advanced directives (i.e. what you would do in the event of a life threatening illness or accident), when your routine screening exams should occur for things like PAPs, mammograms, colonoscopies, etc., tailored to your specific needs (based on gender assigned at birth, body parts, hormone use, family history and more). In addition, we screen for issues that are common in our community: depression and substance use and provide a safe space to be vulnerable without fear of judgement.

• Spring Physical Exams: Our Fall Wellness visits don’t usually leave time for a full physical (insurance companies mandate that we discuss advanced directives and the screenings mentioned above) and we believe that a full physical is something every patient should have once a year. It’s also a great time to get other vaccines that are specifically recommended for the LGBTQ+ community.

• Same or Next Day Sick Visits: Because we focus on preventive care visits in the fall and Spring, we can quickly and easily get you in for visit if you are feeling under the weather, think you have an STI, or had an injury. We can even do telehealth.