One of nation’s largest LGBTQ healthcare centers reopens ‘with heightened security’ after receiving ‘serious and credible’ threats

A nonprofit community health center serving the LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS communities reopened on Tuesday, a day after closing its doors in three Ohio cities over a series of threats.

Equitas Health is a federally designated community health center that serves tens of thousands of patients in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia every year. Described on its website as “one of the largest LGBTQ+ and HIV/AIDS-serving healthcare organizations in the United States,” it has 21 offices in 13 different cities.

The organization was forced to shut down its offices in Cincinnati, Columbus and Dayton Monday after receiving threats that were deemed “serious and credible,” a company’s spokesperson told local television station WCPO-TV.

All patients and employees were evacuated shortly before 4 p.m.

According to the spokesperson, law enforcement agencies in Columbus and Dayton became involved after a Dayton man called multiple times Monday morning.

Authorities have not released any information about the incident, and the investigation is still ongoing.

The organization announced on Twitter Tuesday that all facilities had reopened.

“We received some threats Monday by phone and closed our offices to be safe. We reopened today with heightened security,” the tweet read in part.

Robert S. Copeland, the organization’s interim CEO and president, said in a statement that “the decision to close our facilities did not come lightly. Today, we resume providing the services our communities need while ensuring a safe and secured workplace for our employees.”