Health centers at two schools within the Seattle Public Schools district are providing children with free "gender affirming care, con...
Health centers at two schools within the Seattle Public Schools district are providing children with free "gender affirming care, conveniently at the school," according to documents obtained this week by Parents Defending Education.
Country Doctor Community Health Centers, a local nonprofit, operates the health centers at Nova High School and Meany Middle School.
Nova Wellness Center's website explains that it provides high schoolers with "no cost comprehensive, trauma-informed, and gender affirming care, conveniently at the school." While the website lists gender-affirming care under its medical services, it does not specify the extent of the treatment options available to children.
"We bill appropriate services to insurance if you have it. There are never any co-pays or co-insurance to worry about. We also offer services and support to students and families without insurance," the website stated. "The Wellness Center offers a variety of physical and mental health care services."
Despite not listing the treatments offered to children, CDCHC's website explains its "mission is to promote health in transgender, non-binary and gender diverse communities through ensuring equal access to gender-affirming medications and procedures, and training staff to be trauma-informed and culturally responsive."
CDCHC's website states that it offers "gender-affirming medications," including estrogen, androgen blockers, testosterone, and more. It also provides "hormone therapy for adolescents and specialty referrals for younger patients as needed." The clinic does not currently offer puberty blockers, it notes.
Additionally, its services include "referrals for gender-affirming surgeries." The center can also assist patients with "obtaining mental health letters of support for gender-affirming procedures and referrals."
It is unclear if all of the CDCHC's medical services are offered at the schools' clinics.
Additional documents obtained by PDE revealed that, according to SPS, "staff should not disclose a student's transgender or gender X status to others unless (1) legally required to do so or (2) the student has authorized disclosure."
"Contacting the parents/guardians of a transgender or gender X student and it is unclear whether the student asserts the same gender identity at home, it is best practice to avoid using gender pronouns," the document stated.
When asked whether the CDCHC directly provides students with "gender reaffirming care," a spokesperson for Seattle Public Schools told KOMO-TV that "community healthcare agencies independently operate School-Based Health Centers in spaces provided by Seattle Public Schools."
The SPS spokesperson added that the district does not "supervise or participate in the provision of health care services in these clinics."
"These clinics provide students with access to comprehensive primary care and behavioral health services," the SPS spokesperson continued. "Access to these services enables the early intervention, prevention, and treatment of health-related barriers to learning with the goal of promoting school attendance and improved academic performance. School-Based Health Centers follow all applicable laws and regulations pertaining to the provision of health care, including those relating to parental consent and patient confidentiality."
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