Everyone deserves to receive the care they need, including trans youth. Transgender, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth face unique barriers to accessing health care, which are further compounded for trans youth of color, trans youth in rural communities, and trans youth on public insurance. Providers can better support trans youth by incorporating a youth-led, strengths-based approach in their care. By shifting practices and policies, health care teams can make their care settings more welcoming for trans youth and their families and work toward centering youth voices in discussions on health care access, social and community resources, and more.
This webinar highlighted promising strategies for creating welcoming health care settings for trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth and their families. A nationally recognized pediatrician, and a health center founder and nurse-practitioner shared their experiences creating practices that empower trans youth to lead their health care journey, access needed resources, and advocate for themselves and their communities. The webinar was a product of Accelerating Child Health Transformation (ACHT), a national initiative led by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation that seeks to accelerate the adoption of key strategies necessary to advance anti-racist and family-centered pediatric practice. This webinar was not recorded.
Following are resources that were shared with participants during the webinar. See also a follow-up Q&A with responses to questions that were not answered during the live event.
- Gender Spectrum – Supports the health and well-being of gender-diverse children and teens through education and family support, as well as training and guidance for educators, medical and mental health providers, and other professionals.
- Trans Health Project – Works to expand access to transgender-related health care by educating impacted individuals about their legal rights, cultivating a movement to achieve health care equity, expanding enforcement of existing legal protections, and driving clinical policy changes among insurance carriers.
- Transhealth– Works to expand gender-affirming health care — serving trans and gender-diverse individuals and families in Western Massachusetts. To access the Transhealth resources page, email
- The Center on Colfax – Gives voice to Colorado’s LGBTQ community and plays a pivotal role in statewide initiatives to reduce harassment and discrimination. Visit their Resource Directory for resources related to housing, family support, mental health, legal aid, disability services, and youth programming, among others.
- Transformative Freedom Fund – Supports the authentic selves of transgender Coloradans by removing financial barriers to transition-related health care.
Agenda
I. Welcome and Introduction
Speaker: Liz Gipson (she/her), Senior Program Officer, CHCS
L. Gipson welcomed participants, provided an overview of the webinar, and introduced panelists.
II. Overview of Accelerating Child Health Transformation
Speaker: Hannah Gears (she/her), Senior Program Officer, CHCS
H. Gears shared a brief overview of the ACHT initiative and its participating pediatric practices’ commitments to co-creating equitable partnerships with patients and their families and treating all patients — particularly those who have been historically marginalized — with dignity.
III. Following the Lead of Trans Youth in Primary Care Settings
Speaker: Dallas Ducar (she/her), MSN, RN, NP, CNL, FAAN, Founding President and CEO, Transhealth
D. Ducar provided an overview of Transhealth’s approach to affirming, patient-centered care. She shared promising strategies and best practices for providers interested in better centering the needs and celebrating the strengths of trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive youth.
IV. Pediatric Providers’ Role in Advancing Access to Equitable Care for Trans Youth
Speaker: David Inwards-Breland (he/him), MD, MPH, FAAP, Clinical Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Adolescent Medicine, Morehouse School of Medicine
D. Inwards-Breland discussed the importance of incorporating gender diversity into adolescent pediatric clinical care to improve equitable access to health care for all youth. He discussed the barriers trans and gender-expansive youth of color face in accessing care. He shared strengths-based strategies for creating pediatric practices that partner with families to promote gender inclusivity.
V. Panel Discussion
Moderator: Liz Gipson
Panelists: David Inwards-Breland (he/him) and Dallas Ducar (she/her)
