Seattle Hospital to Open Gender Clinic for Transgender Youth

SEATTLE (AP) — Transgender youth will have a place to go for coordinated medical care when a new clinic opens at Seattle Children's Hospital next month.

KING-TV reports that doctors trained in transgender care will provide services to transgender kids entering puberty at the hospital's new Gender Clinic. It will be only one of a handful of hospitals across the country to do so.

Transgender adolescents can access services, including puberty blockers, hormone therapy and mental health support. The clinic will not perform surgeries.

Clinical director Dr. David Breland says offering services through pediatric care allows patients to start treatment early enough for the best cosmetic outcome, reducing chances of discrimination and allowing for better integration into society.

Administrators say the new clinic will open sometime in October.