NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Vanderbilt Health said it will cease providing gender-affirming plastic surgeries for adults, citing operational limitations and a lack of surgical coverage.
In a statement, the medical center said it will continue offering nonsurgical gender-affirming care for adults 19 years and older. It also reiterated that it does not provide any gender-affirming care for patients younger than 19.
The hospital said it is in the process of contacting patients about the changes.
On its website, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program for LGBTQ Health describes its mission:
LGBTQ patients experience disparities in access to and quality of care, leading to preventable, adverse health outcomes including elevated risk for specific chronic diseases and increased rates of suicide and depression. The Vanderbilt Program for LGBTQ Health works to address these disparities, improve the health of LGBTQ patients, support education around LGBTQ Health, and foster research on the optimal ways to care for LGBTQ patients and families.
September 11, 2001 is a day most associate with terror and tragedy. Austin Pollack shares a story from that day about hope and persistence: the effort to save a little girl’s life – with an organ donation. The problem? The young patient was in Houston, and her life-saving liver here in Nashville. With the grounding of all civilian aircraft, how could it be done? “Nobody ever said this isn’t possible.”
- Rhori Johnston
