SOMERVILLE, NJ, April 13, 2022 – Patients at the Babs Siperstein PROUD Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) Somerset, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, now have access to behavioral health services with a therapist dedicated to working with members of the LGBTQ+ community.

Kim Keyes, LCSW, an outpatient behavioral health therapist, has 18 years of experience as a social worker helping children and families. Keyes is available five days a week for in-person and telehealth appointments.

“I’ve always had a special interest in working with the LGBTQ+ community but recently decided to become more professionally involved as I have a close family member who identifies as transgender,” she says. “I’m here to help support members of the LGBTQ+ community throughout their journey, from exploring gender identity or sexual orientation to coming out to their friends and family and learning to live fully as their true selves, which may include developing coping skills or ways to build their personal support network. This is a safe space where they can find understanding and acceptance and develop a plan to address the unique challenges they face.”

Lesbian, gay and bisexual adults are twice as likely as heterosexual adults to experience mental health conditions and transgender individuals are four times as likely as cisgender individuals to experience a mental health condition, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Depression, anxiety and suicide rates are also higher in the LGBTQ+ community. About 40 percent of transgender adults have attempted suicide in their lifetimes.

Coping with stigma, prejudice and discrimination can contribute to higher incidences of mental health issues among the LGBTQ+ community, Keyes says.

“The transitioning process can be very stressful for transgender individuals. They are worried about how to tell others and what their reaction will be as well as anxious about starting hormone replacement therapy and considering surgical options,” she says. “Talking it through with someone who is supportive helps them develop healthy coping skills.”

“Too many members of the LGBTQ+ community suffer in silence. We are excited to be able to offer our patients convenient access to behavioral health services right here on our campus,” said Perry Farhat, Esq., director of diversity and inclusion at RWJUH Somerset and director of the Babs Siperstein PROUD Center. “Mental health is a key part of patients’ overall health and wellness.”

RWJUH Somerset has been nationally recognized for providing culturally competent care and reducing health care disparities. The Human Rights Campaign has honored the hospital as a Leader in LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality seven years in a row.

RWJUH Somerset was the first hospital in New Jersey to offer specialized primary care services for the LGBTQ+ community. The Babs Siperstein PROUD Center, which celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, offers hormone therapy and monitoring, HIV care, health education, counseling, support groups and referrals for specialty services.

Most major insurance plans are accepted. Costs for behavioral health services for uninsured LGBTQ+ patients will be covered through funding from a grant from TD Bank.

For more information about the Babs Siperstein PROUD Center, visit www.rwjbh.org/somersetproud. To schedule an appointment, call 855-PROUD-FH or 908-243-8647.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset is a nationally accredited, 341-bed hospital in Somerville, New Jersey, providing comprehensive emergency, medical/surgical and rehabilitative services.

The hospital is nationally recognized as a Magnet® hospital for nursing excellence and has earned an “A” Hospital Safety Score from Leapfrog – its highest patient safety rating.

The Steeplechase Cancer Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has been honored with the prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons. The hospital is also distinguished for its Joint Surgery Institute, receiving the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for total knee and total hip replacement surgery, and is designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission and the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset has been named a Center of Excellence in Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery by the Surgical Review Corporation. In addition, it has received the Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for its acute myocardial infarction program.

Honored as a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign, the hospital was the first in New Jersey to offer primary care services for the LGBTQIA community.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset also offers outpatient services at convenient locations in Central New Jersey, including physical therapy services in Bedminster, Bridgewater, Hillsborough, Princeton and Flemington and an urgent care center and a sleep disorders center in Hillsborough. In addition, the hospital’s affiliated physician practices provide care for families throughout its community.