Whitman-Walker Health was founded in 1978 on the ideal that everyone deserves to receive healthcare in a place that is safe, respectful, and life-affirming. We are holding an open house for our Gender Affirming Services from noon to 3:00pm on Saturday, April 27th at 1525 14th Street, NW. We invite you to come and see if Whitman-Walker is the place for you.
Our open house is space for patients, prospective patients, family, friends, and allies to come learn more about the array of services we provide to transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary patients. We recognize that achieving health and wellness often requires a health care team. Members of our medical, behavioral health, dental, legal services, youth services, public benefits and insurance navigation, patient engagement, and research teams will be available. Here are some of the ways we seek to address barriers to care for transgender and gender non-conforming communities:
Many transgender and gender expansive people report having negative experiences receiving medical care, including having to teach their provider about transgender healthcare and may delay care as a result. (James,2016, p. 5, 96) We have an expert gender affirming services team, trans care navigators, and peer support specialists here to support you through the process.
Because of employment discrimination,trans and gender non-conforming people are more likely to be financially insecure and have less access to health insurance.(James, 2016, p. 6, 94) We have patient insurance navigators committed to helping patients access and use the health insurance options available in the District, Maryland, and Virginia and lawyers who specialize in successfully challenging restrictions on gender-affirming procedures in insurance plans.
Many insurers require a behavioral health specialist to sign off on gender affirming care before they will pay for services. (James, 2016, p.99) Gender affirming assessments and counseling are available for our medical patients. Additionally, Whitman-Walker hosts a variety of support groups; including substance use treatment, psychotherapy, and diverse peer support groups.
A disproportionate number of people living with HIV are transgender, particularly transgender women of color. (James, 2016, p. 6) Whitman-Walker Health’s Red Carpet program smooths the way to comprehensive HIV care and is an excellent entry point for other services. We specialize in HIV care and also conduct research studies to improve HIV treatments, search for a cure for HIV, and to improve the life-long health of people living with HIV.
Our legal team offers free services to help you address legal barriers so you can achieve improved health and wellness. Legal Services can help with name changes, gender discrimination, immigration issues and much more.
Join us for this free event to meet staff and learn about how we can help you live healthily and love openly through gender affirming care.
James, S. E., Herman, J. L., Rankin, S., Keisling, M., Mottet, L., & Anafi, M. (2016).The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey. Washington, DC: National Center for Transgender Equality
