From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— The Dane County Board of Supervisors is urging UW Health and Children’s Wisconsin to resume gender-affirming care for transgender youth, warning of “serious risks to health and well-being” from delaying or denying such care.
The board yesterday approved a resolution condemning both health systems for their “abrupt cessation” of gender-affirming healthcare for patients under age 18 earlier this year. The resolution notes the “significant disruption and harm” the decision has caused to transgender and non-binary youth and their families in the county.
The final version included a committee amendment adding Children’s Wisconsin to the resolution’s language as well as a section detailing the impact of families being driven to seek gender-affirming care outside of the state.
Other sections of the resolution refer only to UW Health, including one noting its Jan. 14 decision to cease providing this care cited potential federal enforcement actions that could impact Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement.
Another notes UW Health’s statutory mission requires delivering high-quality health care to all patients, including the medically underserved.
“Decisions that restrict access to medically necessary care for vulnerable populations raise concerns regarding the consistency of that mission and the long-term implications for equitable health care delivery,” the resolution reads.
In a statement on yesterday’s resolution, UW Health said “threats from ongoing federal actions are not fully resolved” despite the evidence-based nature of gender-affirming care.
“Therefore, the current risk is too great to resume this care. We recognize the challenges faced by impacted patients and families and remain committed to providing patient-centered care and supporting their health and well-being throughout this critical time.”
In addition to calling on the care providers to resume providing this care for youth “to the fullest extent permitted by law,” the board is also urging UW-Madison to conduct a review of the decision to stop providing such care as well as “recommendations for safeguarding continuity of care in the future.”
The resolution was authored by Supv. Aria Trucios, who uses they/them pronouns, according to a release from the board.
“The loss of this healthcare has permanent, irreversible impacts on patients’ lives, and the decision to end it abruptly has caused real harm,” Trucios said in a statement. “At no point has UW Health had a legal duty to cease providing this healthcare. We call on UW Health to put the wellbeing of their patients first by resuming care to the fullest extent permitted by law.”
Children’s Wisconsin didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the resolution.
The board’s message is the latest attempt to sway the decision of these healthcare providers, after LGBTQ+ advocacy group Fair Wisconsin and other organizations sent a letter in May calling for the resumption of gender-affirming care for transgender youth. When asked for comment at the time, both health systems were quick to reject the appeal.
See the release below.
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Press Releases
– Dane County Board: Calls on UW Health to resume gender-affirming care for transgender youth
