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Joseph Knoll began his work with the LGBTQ community at his dining room table.
As a nurse practitioner and a member of the community, he saw a lack of resources for LGBTQ people and worked to mend that gap.
This work led him to create Spektrum Health in 2018, an organization that offers primary care, mental health treatment, medical transition care, HIV treatment and prevention, STD treatment and prevention and weight management.
The Melbourne office opened May 18; an Orlando office opened in January 2019.
Knoll said that as a gay man, he first noticed many healthcare providers didn’t understand his own health needs.
“I always hated the way I was treated,” he said. “And I realized it was not just gay men — it was a lot of people in the LGBTQ umbrella.”
That led him to create Spektrum.
Knoll said his goal was to create an experience that was “high-quality, patient-centered, patient-focused and driven by positive outcomes and health goals.”
In addition to serving the specific needs of the LGBTQ community, Spektrum provides employment for care providers who are part of the community.
“We’re all in some way, shape or form part of the community,” Knoll said. “We’re invested in it.”
Lana Dunn first came to Knoll as a patient. She had just moved to Florida and was beginning to start her gender transition. After she and Knoll got to know each other, he offered her a position at Spektrum as a part-time receptionist.
That position has since grown into her current role as office manager at the Orlando clinic.
“Anyone who works with Spektrum Health has got to have their heart in it,” Dunn said. “That is our biggest core value.”
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Having local healthcare providers who understand the LGBTQ experience will help those who may be newly out and exploring their options, said Evangeline Minet, an aerospace student at Florida Tech.
Minet has been out as transgender since 2017. While she began navigating gender-affirming healthcare several years ago, she said she thinks the new clinic will be good for people who haven’t taken those steps yet.
“I think having more people that can help us, especially for those very particular needs where you don’t necessarily feel comfortable opening up to someone the first time — it’s nice to have something that you know ahead of time will help you and be safe,” Minet said.
She said that while she considers herself lucky in how her healthcare providers have treated her, she’s still faced challenges in areas such as finding a local endocrinologist with knowledge in hormone replacement therapy.
“That was a particular nightmare,” she said. “Just thinking about it makes my head hurt.”
Part of the gender-affirming healthcare provided at Spektrum includes hormone replacement therapy, Knoll said. He added that he specializes in transgender medicine, saying that “it is [his] passion.”
Knoll said both he and Dunn are working with Florida legislators to advocate for the LGBTQ community.
“I’m never going to stop doing what I do,” Knoll said. “I’m never going to stop fighting for the community.”
Spektrum Health of Melbourne, 1920 S. Babcock St.. is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Contact Walker at elwalker@floridatoday.com, 321-290-4744 or on Twitter @_emilylwalker. Support her work by subscribing to FloridaToday.com.
