Boston’s Fenway Health, one of the country’s largest LGBTQ+ health providers, has stopped offering hormones and puberty blockers to transgender patients under 19, citing new federal rules tied to its funding status. The clinic said in a letter to clients that it must comply with U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration rules to keep its designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center, which allows it to provide care regardless of ability to pay.
As The Boston Globe reported, “It could lose its FQHC designation and funding if found out of compliance with federal rules.” In the letter, the health provider said, “This change in position is a response to a shifting federal landscape that requires us to adapt in order to remain compliant, sustainable, and able to provide healthcare, support, and services to all our patients and the community…The status loss would significantly challenge our ability to meet the needs of all who rely on us.”
Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center remain options for trans minors seeking care. Still, the move dealt a blow to many families. However, as Lisa Thornton, a mother who moved from Florida for her trans daughter’s treatment, said, “We will always find a way.”
