Described by its founding CEO Dallas Ducar as “the first independent, comprehensive transgender health care center in the nation,” Transhealth Northampton officially opened its doors in Florence, Mass. on Tuesday.
“We are led by the trans community, which is really unique, and we are for the trans community. We are really built to empower people. We are empowering trans- and gender-diverse adults, children, families,” Ducar told MassLive.com.
Reports MassLive:
There are other health care systems regionally and statewide that incorporate care to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, but Ducar said Transhealth Northampton is alone in its mission of “committing 100 percent of our budget to transgender health care.”
“We don’t know of any other place like this in the country,” Ducar said. “We are a majority trans identified and LGBTQ. We are really by and for our community which is a very exciting thing. We are really constructing this from the wisdom of the community.” …
“One of the wisdoms from the trans community is that gender-affirming care is not just hormones and surgery,” said Ducar who, by training, is a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. “One of the most gender-affirming things that happened to me is when my grandmother took me to buy my first dress. I will not forget that. That was not something that could happen in a clinical encounter. That was so much more.”
The center offers primary care for adults, pediatric primary care, hormonal care, as well as mental health care and “also lots of non-critical services,” including patient advocacy, legal and community services, Ducar said.
She added that the “majority of our staff are trans- or gender-diverse identified and a very strong number are LGBTQ identified, too,” and that individuals can schedule appointments with more than one provider during a visit.
Read the complete MassLive.com story here.
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