Now Bushwickers will have to, ugh, buy condoms. — Photo by Diego Cupolo.

It’s a sad April Fools’ Day in Bushwick. The wonderful free clinic — despite the Public Advocate’s opinion to the contrary — that provided free STD screenings and services closed its doors yesterday and will be relocating near the Bed-Stuy/Crown Heights border.

The new clinic will open on April 9, 2009 at 1218 Prospect Place, between Troy and Schenectady Avenues. The new clinic can be reached by calling (718) 953-8213 or 311 for additional information on similar local health services.

I wondered if the clinic was closing due to budget cuts, but the receptionist said the move had been planned for months and all staff members were keeping their jobs.

This is quite a shame — this was one of the cleanest, friendliest and most useful city-funded services available and it was conveniently located in the center of our neighborhood. Guess we’ll be traveling longer distances for those free condoms…