Physicians at People’s Health and Wellness Clinic in Barre now deliver gender-affirming care. Our Hailey Morgan tells us how this will help Vermont’s LGBTQ+ community.  Read More Health & Wellness 

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BARRE, Vt. (WCAX) – People’s Health and Wellness Clinic in Barre is beginning a new service intended to serve Vermont’s LGBTQ+ community.

“This is important because this is an essential piece of the health and wellness puzzle for trans and nonbinary persons,” said Shawna Trader of Barre.

Trader has been going to the wellness center for about 10 years. When Trader, who uses the pronoun they, heard the providers there would be offering gender-affirming care, they felt it was a service that is needed in Vermont.

“We can’t get the same services that folks without that special substantive needs get at their doctor’s office on a routine basis. We also need the same set of skills, knowledge and diagnostic capacity for the issues that we face,” Trader said.

The clinic is partnering with the research group Ishtar Collective to help deliver the services a few times a month. You must be 18 or older to access the care.

The clinic currently serves about 15 patients on a regular basis who don’t have access to care at all outside the clinic.

Teal Church, the director of clinical services at the clinic, says gender-affirming care doesn’t happen overnight.

“We are providing care based on patient needs. So people would come and seek us out for the care that they need. Along with this clinic, we are offering primary care. We are not just doing gender-affirming care with outpatients,” Church said.

Sen. Ginny Lyons helped put forward Vermont’s abortion and gender-affirming care “Shield Law” that protects providers delivering these services. Lyons says this is exactly the kind of work she expects to grow in the state.

“That physician should be able to do it and particularly in our state. The patient, at the same time, needs to be able to access the appropriate care without prejudice, without a feeling of anxiety and discomfort,” said Lyons, D-Chittenden County.

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