Denver Health, Children’s Hospital Colorado to resume gender-affirming treatments for youth

Denver Health and Children’s Hospital Colorado will resume gender-affirming treatments for transgender youth, which they had paused following President Donald Trump’s executive order threatening to withhold federal funding for institutions that provide such health care.

The hospitals’ decision comes as Colorado joins a multi-state lawsuit seeking to block Trump’s executive order, which states that medical providers that offer gender-affirming medication or surgeries to patient under 19 could lose federal funding, including for patients covered by Medicare and Medicaid.

“Children’s Hospital Colorado believes that families know what is best for their child,” the hospital said in a statement. “Every family should have the right to access expert medical care to support their child’s well-being, including gender-diverse youth.”

Two federal judges have temporarily halted the executive order while litigation against the Trump administration proceeds.

Attorney General Phil Weiser announced Wednesday that Colorado is joining Minnesota, Oregon and Washington in their lawsuit challenging Trump’s order. Both hospitals cited Weiser’s decision to join the lawsuit in their decisions to resume care.

“The White House executive order is not only illegal, but also cruel,” Weiser said in a statement. “I’ve met with health care providers and parents, and they fear that if the executive order is allowed to stand, it will result in irreversible physical and mental health harms for transgender youth.”

Children’s Hospital will resume gender-affirming medical care, including puberty-blocking and hormone-based treatments, on Monday. The hospital never provided provided gender-affirming surgeries to minors and stopped offering such treatments to young adults in 2023.

Denver Health, the region’s safety-net hospital, said in a statement that patients under the age of 19 will be able to continue to receive puberty blockers and hormone therapy, but surgeries for transgender youth are still paused “due to patient safety and given the uncertainty of the legal and regulatory landscape.”

“We recognize the strain that actions made outside of our control is having on our patients, their families and their care teams,” Denver Health said in a statement. “We appreciate the community’s understanding and support as we navigate these sensitive issues and remain focused on providing high-quality care for all of our patients.”

Trump’s order comes as states across the U.S. have restricted or banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender children and teens. But a recent study found that fewer than 1 in 1,000 American adolescents with commercial insurance receive medications, such as puberty blockers or hormone.

The American Psychological Association has said restricting transgender and nonbinary adolescents’ access to medical care puts them at risk of developing depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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