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Parents say Atrium Health to end all hormone, puberty blockers care for trans youth

Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, seen on Oct. 24, 2022, is owned by Atrium Health. Atrium Health, North Carolina's largest hospital system, has declared publicly that in 2019 it provided $640 million in services to Medicare patients that were never paid for.
Fred Clasen-Kelly
/
Kaiser Health News
Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.

The parents of a transgender child in Huntersville say Atrium Health told them it will end gender-affirming care for youth by the end of this month. However, there has been no clarification from the health system on its exact policy plans.

North Carolina banned gender-affirming care for minors in 2023 but allows those who began treatment before the law passed to continue receiving care.

Josh and Amanda Dumas are the parents of a 14-year-old transgender boy. He was a patient at Atrium Health, receiving hormone blockers and testosterone until last week.


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“I got the call on Tuesday from our doctor, who made a personal call to several of her patients to warn them and say, ‘Hey, by the end of July, I’m not going to be able to treat your kid,’” Amanda Dumas said.

The parents found a new doctor for their child to continue treatment but have yet to receive official communication from Atrium.

“Atrium hasn’t told us anything," Josh Dumas said. "Everything that we’ve learned has been word of mouth from other doctors, from other providers, from people in the community, other patients.”

This change would come as the Department of Justice says it will investigate doctors who provide gender-transition care to minors.

In a statement to WFAE, Atrium didn’t confirm or deny the change, saying in part, “We want to share our continued commitment to providing care that is medically appropriate, legally compliant and rooted in compassion.”

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