Member Profile: Chris Gaynor, Qliance

by Jessica Swetin, GSBA Membership Services Coordinator

Qliance has been a member of GSBA since 2007. They provide excellent primary care: wellness care and prevention, sick and urgent care, and chronic disease management.

Chris Gaynor began his work at Qliance out of his desire to prioritize patients over profits. He believes great care requires adequate time with your provider. Addressing mental and physical health concerns should not be rushed and should always be handled in a meaningful way. 

Chris joined GSBA because as a gay physician, he feels it is important to offer GLBT patients the highest quality care without fear of being completely honest and true to themselves in their relationship with their provider. “I love caring for my community. It makes me feel good to care for folks who have had challenges related to being in a sexual minority in our homophobic society."

Chris feels that the GSBA Guide & Directory has greatly increased the number of patient referrals he receives. “I have very much enjoyed being involved in the GSBA community, which has proven to be a leader in many realms, including providing much needed scholarships to queer youth. I am proud to be a part of the strongest business association in the country!”

In times like these everyone is thinking about marriage equality and while it may not seem like an influential issue in the field of primary care Chris reminds us that there will be a plethora of benefits to all sexual minorities in the wake of marriage equality. In addition to legal benefits Chris states that we cannot overestimate the “benefit from our overt cultural shift toward acceptance and inclusion. Fewer of us will suffer from anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and stress-related health issues, and health care utilization and costs will go down as a result.”

It is not just adults that will reap these benefits though. Chris’ experience tells him that as our city, state, and country moves toward a more inclusive environment, queer youth who have spent the majority of their lives internalizing deep-rooted societal homophobia and abuse will gradually be spared that angst.

Chris seems to very much love his affiliation with Qliance and we are beginning to understand why. But when asked to pick his favorite part about Qliance Chris responds that he has “the privilege of bearing witness to people's deepest feelings, both positive and negative, and helping them navigate the sometimes turbulent waters toward greater mental and physical health. I am blessed to be in a job that I love every day, and to work with a collection of individuals who are devoted to patient care.”