Two Planned Parenthood of Michigan (PPMI) health centers launched gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) Wednesday for patients 18 and older.
The clinics in Marquette and Lansing will now offer hormone therapy, which includes prescriptions for testosterone, estrogen or testosterone blockers, for transgender, nonbinary and gender expansive people.
“Gender-affirming care overall really means embracing the gender identity that people share with us and supporting people and expressing their most authentic selves and living their most authentic lives,” said Dr. Halley Crissman, director of gender-affirming care at PPMI. “This care acknowledges the injustices, the trauma and the violence the trans community has faced systematically, including in the health system. While all healthcare should be affirming, there are specific therapies, hormonal, surgical and otherwise, that for many trans and non binary folks are critical components of their care.”
Northern and rural areas of the state often lack access or have limited access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care and to gender-affirming care, which is why the program is being launched in Marquette, the only Planned Parenthood health center in the Upper Peninsula.
The Lansing clinic was chosen because of its centrality in the Lower Peninsula. Additionally, two gender-affirming hormone providers had moved out of the Lansing area in the last six months, and there were a number of patients that were in need of care in that area, Crissman said.
Planned Parenthood clinic in Marquette, MI on Dec. 9, 2021 | Allison R. Donahue
These first two clinics in Michigan are joining 41 Planned Parenthood affiliates nationwide, approximately 330 clinics, that have been offering this service since the beginning of the year.
PPMI plans to expand GAHT services statewide and through telehealth by the end of 2022.
In preparing for this launch, PPMI created a community advisory board at the beginning of the year that currently includes 19 people across the state, the vast majority of which are transgender and non binary identified, who are guiding the training, protocols, communication and education for this program.
“The voices and lives of trans and non binary people have been marginalized and stigmatized in many ways. And we as a health care system and health care providers have not always been there to meet the needs of the community,” said Crissman. “Planned Parenthood recognizes that trans and non binary people have been our patients for decades, but we’re really now stepping up and stepping out to more explicitly make all of our care safe, welcoming and affirming for people of all genders.”
PPMI upgraded electronic medical records to accurately capture patient identities and pronouns, trained staff on gender-inclusive care and hired a full-time gender-affirming care coordinator and patient navigator.
To remove unnecessary barriers, providers will follow an informed consent model for hormone therapy. Patients will not be required to see a therapist or obtain an outside referral. Instead, patients will discuss the risks and benefits of hormone therapy with a PPMI clinician and determine the appropriate course of care.
authored by Allison R. Donahue
First published at https%3A%2F%2Fmichiganadvance.com%2F2022%2F05%2F26%2Fplanned-parenthood-launches-gender-affirming-care-in-lansing-marquette%2F
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