COLUMBIA, Missouri — A University of Missouri said Friday an internal review found allegations of improper care at a center for young transgender patients were “unfounded,” after a former employee alleges mistreatment — which led the state attorney general to investigate.
Former employee in February claimed University of Washington Transgender Center is too quick to prescribe puberty blockers and hormones, doesn’t do enough to educate parents and children before providing care, doesn’t follow through no negative side effects and lacks adequate comprehensive mental health services. care.
The University of Washington’s eight-week review found that “allegations of substandard care resulting in adverse outcomes for patients at the Center are unfounded,” according to a summary of the findings.
The former staffer’s allegations prompted Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey, appointed in January and running for office, to open an investigation into the center. Since then, Bailey has expanded the investigation to all transgender pediatric health care in the state, including requesting records from a Planned Parenthood clinic about its gender-affirming health care policies for minors.
Last month, Bailey opened a whistleblower line, which her office said in an earlier press release is for “those who have experienced harm during gender transition interventions or witnessed troubling practices. in transitional clinics in Missouri” to share their concerns.
Bailey’s spokeswoman, Madeline Sieren, said in an email on Friday that “far-left activists are trying to block parents from coming to light about what happened to their children” by using the hotline. denunciation. She did not provide any additional information on this claim. the whistleblower line is temporarily suspended “while we investigate these matters.”
The University of Washington’s internal review “identified no patients who had adverse physical reactions caused by medications prescribed by providers at the Center,” based on interviews with staff and medical records.
The center also requires a letter of support from a licensed mental health provider before prescribing puberty blockers or hormones, which the university says reflects “individualized review and assessment of patients” and their health. mental.
“Records indicate that most patients had ongoing relationships with mental health providers, and Center providers recommend resources to patients who may need ongoing treatment for mental health issues,” according to the abstract. the exam.
Sieren, in a statement, said “the transgender center’s claims do not match what we have discovered in our investigation so far.”
The University of Washington, in a statement, said it continued to cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation.
Katy Erker-Lynch, executive director of the Missouri LGBTQ+ advocacy group PROMO, said in a statement that she was “not surprised to learn that all standards of care are being followed at the Center.”
“Every day we hear from parents about the quality of care provided to them and their children,” she said.
Claims against the center have fueled Republican efforts to restrict or outright ban gender-affirming care in the state.
Bailey last week unveiled a first-of-its-kind emergency rule to place extensive restrictions on adults and children before they can receive puberty-blocking drugs, hormones or surgeries “in an effort to change sex”. The rule will go into effect next week, although a legal challenge is expected.
Republican state lawmakers have made it a priority to pass bills banning all gender-affirming health care for minors, inmates and prisoners. Another high-priority bill would ban transgender girls from playing on women’s sports teams in schools.
TransParent President Susan Halla said she didn’t expect the University of Washington’s findings to end what she called a “targeted attack on the transgender community.”
“They will continue until they are able to pass laws against parents and the way we raise our children,” Halla said.
A total of 1,165 people have visited the center for treatment since June 2018, according to the university. This includes informative phone calls “of sufficient depth to create a medical record”.
About half – 531 – received hormones, including “some who had existing prescriptions for these drugs from independent physicians,” the university said. 67 others received puberty blockers. The other patients received no treatment.
University of Washington surgeons performed six gender-affirming surgeries on minors before ending the practice. The transgender center stopped referring minors for gender-affirming surgeries elsewhere as of late 2018, but still gives patients the names of surgeons who provide such care upon request.
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Associated Press writer Margaret Stafford contributed to this report from Kansas City, Missouri.