COIN Clinic

Welcome to COIN – a free healthcare program for sex workers in an affirming, supportive environment.

COIN (Ceceilia’s Occupational Inclusion Network), our sex worker health program, has continued to grow and so have our workflows and processes! Here is the most updated information about COIN services.

The COIN Clinic is open to anybody who identifies as a sex worker. Self-attestation is the only requisite to enrollment. Insured patients in the program can have their copays and deductibles covered, and if they are uninsured, all of their care will be covered. COIN can cover primary care, labs, medications, behavioral health visits, GEN visits, dental care, and any other services received under Callen-Lorde’s roof. It cannot cover external referrals, pharmacies, or emergency room visits. Additionally, COIN patients can receive specialized case management and access a support group for sex workers that meets twice a month.

All COIN patients can access Walk-In/Same Day appointments that allow them to be seen quickly and frequently. Walk-in hours for the COIN clinic take place on Fridays from 10am-3pm at our Chelsea location, but COIN patients can also be scheduled for NUA, TOC, and OVS appointments if they wish to be seen outside of walk-in hours or want to receive care at the Brooklyn or Bronx locations. All new COIN registrations should be followed by a task to Addison Laczkowski in Epic for case management follow-up.

Appointments can be made by calling the COIN line at (212) 271-8134 or the main scheduling line.

Any questions about the program, support group registration, or workflows can be directed to Addison Laczkowski on teams or x8134!

Learn more about COIN Confessions, a support group for sex workers and people involved in the sex trade industry. Join us for community building and a confidential space to discuss topics such as health, safety, legality, financial management, and social issues here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Callen-Lorde’s philosophy toward sex work?

Callen-Lorde firmly and without reservation supports the health, rights, and dignity of sex workers. We are opposed to laws that disproportionately regulate and criminalize bodily autonomy, sexuality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. We support the total decriminalization of sex work as an important step to protect and respect the human rights of all sex workers. We recognize sex work as meaningful and valuable work that provides economic opportunity for people selling and trading sex. We affirm that sex workers are not criminals to be stigmatized, but rather, members of an often exploited and under-protected working class. We stand in solidarity with sex workers demanding rights, the recognition of sex workers’ agency, decision-making capacity, and safe working conditions. We honor the different experiences that people may have with regards to the level of consent and control they experience around participating in the sex industry.  We understand the gray area between sex work and sex trafficking and want our services to be available to anyone in the sex industry, regardless of their level of agency in their work. We pledge to promote the rights of sex workers and to create a safe space for sex workers to obtain healthcare without judgment, fear, or stigmatization.

How do you define “sex work”?

Callen-Lorde uses the Youth Women’s Empowerment Network of sex trade, which defines it as “any form of being sexual (or the idea of being sexual) in exchange for money, gifts, safety, drugs, hormones or survival needs such as housing, food, clothes or immigration and documentation- whether you get to keep the money/goods/service/or someone else profits from these acts”.  This means we support people engaged in any form of sexual labor, be it camming, escorting, stripping, BDSM, and all other forms of sex work.  In a nutshell, if you tell us you are a sex worker of any kind, you are welcome in this program.

What will be written in my chart?

In order to maintain the confidentiality and safety of our patients, we will not be indicating in your chart that you have been enrolled in the sex worker program but instead it will indicate that you have been enrolled in the COIN program.

We realize many sex workers have concerns about what is documented in their medical chart. Our providers will work with you to make sure you are comfortable with everything that gets written down or recorded during your visit.

What if my chart is subpoenaed?

When any patient’s chart at Callen-Lorde is subpoenaed, there are several steps that are taken to protect confidentiality of records.  When any request is made to disclose information by a law enforcement official a lawyer and/or the Compliance and Privacy Officers review the subpoena prior to any disclosure of records.  This is to ensure all proper channels have been followed by requesting a subpoena, and that we are able to disclose the least amount of information necessary to law enforcement. Whatever records are disclosed to law enforcement will be reported to the patient. Unless specifically requested, only basic information will be disclosed.

Explain how this is free. Like free for real?

All patients of Callen-Lorde are treated regardless of ability to pay. When patients do not have insurance, we have an income-based sliding fee scale for care. The COIN Clinic has additional coverage so you will NOT BE CHARGED for any medications, labs, or care at Callen-Lorde (including copays/deductibles etc). If you have insurance, we will first bill care to your insurance. Any fees your insurance does not cover, (co-pays/deductibles, etc.) will be charged to the COIN Clinic and you will not be billed.

We recommend that all patients meet with one of our insurance navigators to discuss your health insurance options.  Although your care will be free at Callen-Lorde, any care received outside of Callen-Lorde such as specialty or emergency care, cannot be covered. Our Insurance Navigators can help you to decide what health insurance option might be right for you.

It is also important to note that at this time, the funding is temporary, and we are unaware how long it will last. If our program changes and we are no longer able to completely cover your care at Callen-Lorde, you will be alerted before further care is rendered.

But what if I get a bill?

If you are enrolled in the COIN Clinic, you should not receive a bill from Callen-Lorde.  If you are mistakenly sent a bill for care, such as medications or lab bills (that we ordered for you) please call 212-271-7253 to speak to a Billing Specialist.

What training have my provider and support staff had?

Callen-Lorde partnered with Trans Equity Consulting to work with us on this program. The entire staff of Callen-Lorde has been trained on working with people in the sex trades and our providers (both medical and mental health) have received additional specific training on the best way to care for sex workers. Finally, Callen-Lorde convened 8 focus groups of all gender identities to help us inform this program. These recommendations were implemented to all aspects of the program and shared with the staff of the program.

I have some feedback about the program, where can I send it?

As this is new program at Callen-Lorde, we very much welcome your feedback.  You can email feedback directly to fbrigham@callen-lorde.org or, you can call the patient experience department at 212-937-4836.  Finally, if you would like to get involved more directly with the program, you can apply to join our Community Advisory Board (CAB).  The application for this is on our website at https://callen-lorde.org/community-advisory-board/.