One of my friends often says "gen bezwen" instead of just "bezwen." I believe she is from a different region of Haiti... is this just a form of accent?

We say it like that sometimes.

Pa egzanp:

Gen moun ki gen bezwen finansyèl, gen moun ki gen bezwen medical, e genyen ki bezwen sosyal.

Di m sa w gen bezwen, e m’a di w sim ka ede w.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words