Howard Brown Health Center

Howard Brown Health

Formation	1974
Headquarters	Chicago, Illinois, USA
President and CEO	David Ernesto Munar
Chief Operating Officer	Kristin Keglovitz Baker, PA-C, AAHIVS
Chief Clinical Officer	Magda Houlberg, MD
Mission	Howard Brown Health exists to eliminate the disparities in health care experienced by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people through research, education and the provision of services that promote health and wellness.
Website	howardbrown.org
Formerly called	Howard Brown Health Center

Howard Brown Health (formerly the Howard Brown Health Center) is a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) organization based in Chicago, United States. It was founded as a healthcare provider, and now provides health and social services in several locations in the Chicago area.

In 1974, a group of medical students from the Chicago Gay Medical Students Association founded Howard Brown Health Center as a response to rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases among gay men. In subsequent years, and with the advent of the AIDS crisis, Howard Brown Health Center developed services including primary medical care, mental health counselling, substance abuse services, prevention and education, research programs and case management. Howard Brown Health Center, named for Dr. Howard Junior Brown, was incorporated in 1976 as "Howard Brown Memorial Clinic."

In the late 1970s, a high rate of hepatitis B among the center's patients inspired the HBHC to participate in important research studies and vaccine trials against the disease, leading to the first HepB vaccine. Gaining international fame for its research into LGBT health issues, the Center went on to participate in the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study, the longest running HIV study, which has resulted in great breakthroughs in AIDS treatment and prevention.

Besides research, the agency continued to serve the community by helping to set up the city's first AIDS hotline in 1985, and organizing medical and psychosocial services to the affected members of the community.

In 1991, the Howard Brown Health Center was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame. It was recognized as "the Midwest's leading provider of support services to and for people living with AIDS and HIV disease, and an internationally recognized center for hepatitis and AIDS/HIV research."

In 1997, Howard Brown Health's new facility on Sheridan Road was opened, which included a pharmacy that specialized in AIDS/HIV medications. In 2004 the Lesbian Community Cancer Project moved into this facility, and in 2007 the group merged with Howard Brown Health, becoming an agency project.

In 2006, Howard Brown Health was selected to lead a joint effort to provide services for LGBTQ seniors. Funded by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (now the National LGBTQ Task Force), the initiative combines the resources of Rush University Medical Center, Heartland Alliance, the Council for Jewish Elderly (now CJE SeniorLife), and Midwest Hospice and Palliative Care to create a comprehensive program for seniors in the LGBTQ and disadvantaged communities.