Clinics will offer hormone therapy
Starting next month, transgender individuals or those who want to start their transition process will be able to go to Planned Parenthood clinics in Central Florida to get hormone therapy services.
“We’ve had patients over the years who have come to us and requested the service, and I’ve been wanting to start it,” said Dr. Sujatha Prabhakaran, medical director of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.
She recently brought on board a reproductive endocrinologist to oversee the program and provided special training to a staff of more than 150.
This adds Florida to the list of 15 other states under the umbrella of the national Planned Parenthood to offer hormone therapy.
Local LGBT advocates say the service brings another trusted source of care to the transgender community, which has been historically discriminated against and faced barriers to care.
It is also a positive sign that the Central Florida community is embracing diversity, they say.
“It really says that we’re a community that’s growing and evolving,” said Dr. David BakerHargrove, president and CEO of Two Spirit Health Services, a non-profit LGBT clinic. “There’s always that possibility that they will reach out to people who need help and don’t know where to get help.”
Hormone therapy helps individuals transition from male to female or female to male, so that their bodies are more closely aligned with their gender identity.
Medical providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, can prescribe the hormones.
The local Planned Parenthood affiliate is offering hormone therapy to individuals 18 years and older. During the first visit, providers obtain a patient history and discuss the individuals’ goals for transition.
“We talk to them about their mental health, we do a physical exam and do lab work,” said Prabhakaran. To start the therapy, patients must sign informed consent forms. The clinics will also work with insurance companies, or offer lower fees for those who don’t have health insurance.
Another important aspect of providing the service at the Planned Parenthood affiliate’s 11 clinics has been training the staff to create an environment that’s welcoming and respectful to transgender individuals.
“The health-care community as a whole has been somewhat slow to educate and engage the transgender community, even though it’s a rapidly growing group,” said Gina Duncan, director of Transgender Inclusion at Equality Florida.
“Studies have shown that over the last couple of decades, due to discrimination and abuse, transgender people simply postpone or do without health-care. As a result, their situations are more likely to become emergency medical problems and much more severe,” said Duncan, who helped train the Planned Parenthood staff.