Outer Cape Health Services is no longer providing gender-affirming care to people under 19 years old.
CEO Damien Archer says this wasn't a decision the organization wanted to make. But continuing to provide this type of care could mean losing a lot of the money that allows the organization to provide care regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.
CAI's Gilda Geist spoke to Tyler Jager of the Provincetown Independent to learn more about why this change is happening.
Gilda Geist Exactly what kinds of medical services is Outer Cape Health discontinuing?
Tyler Jager So Outer Cape Health is no longer going to offer to people under 19 puberty blockers, also known as puberty inhibitors, or gender-affirming hormone therapy. So puberty-blockers are a form of hormone agonists that sort of suppress puberty in adolescents of that age, and gender-affirming hormone therapy are things like estrogen therapy or testosterone therapy for people who are experiencing gender dysphoria.
GG What is happening at the federal level that led to this change at Outer Cape Health?
TJ So at the federal level, there are a couple new rules announced regarding federal grants and conditions for accepting them that affect Outer Cape Health Services. So Outer Cape Health is a federally qualified health center and the agency within the Health and Human Services Department that determines that status and provides grants to those centers announced that it would deprioritize any programs that use medical intervention to transition minors, quote, "away from their sex." And that was a September announcement, and the department also announced in October that it could terminate federal grants that do not align with agency priorities.
GG You heard directly from some teens in our region who have firsthand experiences seeking gender-affirming care. What perspectives did they offer?
TJ I spoke to three teenagers on the Cape who have all had experiences with these medical treatments for gender-affirming care. And I think one running theme is that people really take different paths through this care. For one person I spoke with, for instance, they credit taking puberty blockers at the age they did with their life, and their ability to thrive now. They didn't continue with hormone therapy and don't regret that decision. Other people have really benefited from hormone therapy and they also all experience different barriers to getting this medical care, either due to transportation, remoteness or just the willingness and ability of pediatricians to recommend it.
GG Now that this change has taken place at Outer Cape Health, what other options exist in our area for youth who are seeking gender-affirming care?
TJ The main alternative, according to this clinic and also Outer Cape Health, is Health Imperatives, which is a network of seven clinics across Southeastern Massachusetts, including one in Hyannis. They all offer gender-affirming care, including gender-affirming hormone therapy for patients between 13 and 18 and continue to do so. They're not a federally qualified health center, so that's not going to change, according to their CEO, Julia Kehoe.
To read Tyler's whole story, head over to provincetownindependent.org.
