One of the largest LGBTQ-serving clinics in the state has discontinued gender-affirming care services for people 18 and under, following a recent executive order from President Trump. The move comes as Phoenix Children’s Hospital recently made a similar decision.
Jessyca Leach, the CEO of Prisma Community Care, formerly known as the Southwest Center for HIV and AIDS, said they’ve been making phone calls to dozens of affected families.
“We unfortunately as an agency also experienced our fund being completely frozen for a week and a half,” said Leach. “So we're already walking through what the devastation of these executive orders looks like, and now we're trying to help our clients, our patients, our communities find ways to get care.”
Leach said moving forward, the goal is to continue providing services in other areas like HIV and STI testing, mental health resources, and gender-affirming care for people older than 18.
And while minors made up a relatively small percentage of patients receiving gender-affirming care there, she said it’s important to note that, specifically: “When I'm talking about minors, I'm talking about 16- and 17-year-olds.”
She said they’ve been working with local partners to bridge services for about 30 patients who have had their care cut.
“We want to handle this as well as we possibly can knowing that the news we're giving to people is devastating,” said Leach, emphasizing that the decision was difficult. But their focus now, she said, is protecting the federal funding that supports their other services, like the free HIV and STI testing center – especially amid concerns that broader affirmative care could be targeted in the future.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct Prisma Community Care's name.
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