San Fran to provide transition care to patients

San Francisco. (Photo by Jon Zander via wikimedia commons)

SAN FRANCISCO — The body governing the San Francisco Department of Public Health voted unanimously Tuesday to remove restrictions to transition-related care to transgender patients enrolled in a health care program for uninsured residents.

According to the Transgender Law Center, the San Francisco Health Commission brought Healthy SF in line with health care plans already in place for employees of the cities of San Francisco and Berkeley by approving the new rules recommended by the Board of Supervisors. Professional organizations, including the American Medical Association, have deemed the procedures medically necessary.

“Like so many of my transgender peers, my need for transition-related care was so important that I focused on it above meeting my other needs,” said health care provider, and former Healthy SF enrollee, Cyd Nova. “Today, as a trans health care provider, I often see participants at the clinic who face the predicament of choosing between saving money for transition related care or meeting basic needs.”