Hospitals
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[edit] Hospitals
[edit] The Triangle Program at Arbour-HRI Hospital
in Brookline, MA First partial hospitalization program in the Boston area that comprehensively responds to the complex mental health needs of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. The Triangle Program provides treatment for these individuals who are dealing with co-occurring mental health issues, including trauma and/or substance disorders.
[edit] Boston Medical Center
The BMC has an endocrinology department which is fairly expert in trans issues. Dr. Joshua Safer was, at last contact, their go-to endo for trans folk. Several other BMC endocrinologists also provide transgender treatment services.
[edit] UMass Boston Medical Center / Worcester
Directions to UMass Boston Medical Center are available at http://www.umassmemorial.org/ummhc/about/directions.cfm .
[edit] Limuel Shattuck Hospital
Directions are available at http://www.mass.gov/dph/hosp/lsh_directions.htm.
[edit] Veterans Hospital - Jamaica Plain, MA
Veterans who would like to access the VA and would like a trans-friendly contact at the Jamaica Plain Hospital can contact Jillian Shipherd, PhD at 617-232-9500 ext 45821
[edit] Children's Hospital
Children's Hospital serves people through the age of 18. Children's Hospital has a "finding a location near you" service at http://www.childrenshospital.org/Networklocator.cfm .
New clinic addresses intersex and gender issues
On February 23 (2007), a new multidisciplinary clinic at Children's Hospital Boston's saw its first patients with what are called disorders of sexual differentiation (DSD). The program primarily serves infants, children, adolescents and young adults with genitourinary or hormonal disorders or other medical issues that may make it difficult to determine their sex, and that may interfere with sexual and reproductive function. Girls with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), for example, are overexposed to masculinizing hormones in utero and may be born with the genital appearance of boys.
While Children's has long treated the physical manifestations of DSDs, the new clinic is also designed to address psychosocial issues that may arise from genital and gonadal variability. In addition to urologists, endocrinologists and geneticists, the team includes social workers, nurses who have run support groups and a research psychologist.
In the past, DSDs were regarded as medical emergencies that needed to be addressed immediately. Parents were not always involved in the decision-making process, which varied from center to center. In recent years, however, adult patients have formed national advocacy groups that have changed the thinking about how to manage DSDs, and today, families are intimately involved in the decisions.
"It's more important to make the best decision than to make the fast one," says Norman Spack, MD, of the Endocrinology division at Children's, who co-directs the new clinic with David Diamond, MD, of Urology. "In some cases, it can take weeks to decide what's best for the patient," he says. "It's a team decision now, and no matter what's done, the parents need support and the children need to be followed." Follow-up research will be conducted to determine the efficacy of the approaches taken and patient satisfaction as they enter adult life.
As more prenatal ultrasounds and chromosome analyses are performed because of advanced maternal age, DSDs are being anticipated even in the womb. "The chromosomes and genital appearance may be discordant," says Dr. Diamond. "It may not be exactly clear what is going on until the child is born, and this can produce great family anxiety." In such instances, the program serves an important teaching function.
Unique in the Western hemisphere, the clinic will also care for children and young adults who present as transgendered—those who have no known anatomic or biochemical disorder, yet feel like a member of the opposite sex. Such feelings can emerge early, even in the preschool years, and can cause considerable psychological distress. For that reason, transgendered young people are often assumed to have a psychiatric disorder and are placed on psychotropic medications. By late adolescence, a high percentage have attempted suicide.
"This will be the first major program in the country that is not only treating DSDs, but also welcoming young people who appear to be transgendered and are considering medical protocols that might help them," says Dr. Spack.
Children's Hospital Boston
300 Longwood Avenue | Boston, MA 02115 | 617-355-6000
www.childrenshospital.org
[edit] Baystate Medical Center
Baystate is located in springfield.
Open Letter to Baystate Hospital from GLAD, NE Transgender Pride, and Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
May 2008
To Whom It May Concern:
We are writing to let you know about a very troubling situation that has been on-going for some time now at Baystate Hospital. Two of the doctors affiliated with the hospital, Drs. Steuber and Johnson, have been providing surgical services to members of the transgender community but not providing surgical letters that are sufficient for many of their female-to-male (“FTM”) transgender patients to get the legal document changes that we need.
This has had a very serious effect on people’s lives and despite efforts to explain the importance of these letters to the doctors providing the surgical services, Drs. Steuber and Johnson have refused to change their policies. We are writing to ask you to get involved with us to help educate these doctors about the importance of providing full and complete care to their transgender patients which includes their providing us with full, accurate, and legally sufficient documentation. We are also writing because we believe it is essential that members of the community know about this situation and do not unknowingly schedule surgeries with these doctors with the expectation of receiving full and complete documentation.
The situation primarily affects FTMs who have top surgery with these doctors. As you know, top surgery is essential for many FTMs to complete our process of transitioning from female to male. For many of us, it is the exclusive surgery that is medically necessary and alone completes our process of transition. As you may also know, many government agencies require a surgical letter in order to change the gender marker including on our driver’s licenses, birth certificates, and social security records. In many states, that letter must state that the surgery was for purposes of sex reassignment and that it completes the process of transition for the patient. For many of us, that is certainly the case for the top surgeries we must undergo. Despite all of this, Drs. Steuber and Johnson refuse to issue letters to their patients that are consistent with our medical and legal needs.
We have every right to expect that complete patient care includes the surgical letter we need to complete our transition and to live our lives consistent with our gender identity having completed that course of medical care.
If you wish to support efforts to educate Drs. Steuber and Johnson about the importance of this issue to our community, please consider sending them a letter explaining your concerns and the importance of these concerns to your life.
Drs. Steuber and Johnson
Baystate Plastic Surgery
2 Medical Center Drive, Suite 309
Springfield, MA 01107
(413) 794-5363
[edit] Policies
From the Code of Ethics for Emergency Physicians:
II. B. 3. Fairness (Approved 1997; Revised October 2005)
Emergency physicians should act fairly toward all persons who rely on the ED for unscheduled episodic care. They should respect and seek to understand people from many cultures and from diverse socioeconomic groups. In the United States emergency physicians provide necessary emergency care to all patients, regardless of ability to pay. Emergency physicians also should strive to avoid having patient finances govern access to appropriate inpatient or follow-up medical care. Provision of emergency medical treatment should not be based on gender, age, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, real or perceived gender identity, or cultural background. No patient should ever be abused, demeaned, or given substandard care.
