How have health systems responded to gender-affirming care? In Centre County, it varies
Three weeks after an executive order was issued to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth, significant confusion remains across the country — and Centre County is no different.
The area’s four most prominent health systems have not handled the order signed by President Donald Trump in the same way. Maybe that’s most evident with Mount Nittany Health, which acknowledged to the CDT on Feb. 7 that it discontinued gender-affirming care for patients under the age of 19, before it told the CDT on Thursday that it had reversed course.
No specific reason was given for the change. However, Executive Order 14187 is now in legal limbo — two federal judges have since temporarily blocked the ban — and different health systems have reacted differently across the commonwealth and Centre County.
“As the community’s trusted healthcare provider, we are committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality care to all who seek it,” Mount Nittany Health spokesperson Tania Luciow wrote in an email Thursday. “We will continue offering care to those who are 19 and under. We firmly believe that it is our duty to serve every member of our community with dignity and respect, with the understanding that healthcare decisions are personal and should be made in partnership between a patient and their doctor to ensure the best possible care.
“We will continue to monitor and comply with any applicable laws or regulations. If a patient has specific questions, we encourage them to reach out to their physician’s office.”
Other health systems across the U.S. have faced identical situations with gender-affirming care, which doesn’t simply refer to surgery but also includes treatment like hormone therapy and puberty blockers. Fifteen state attorneys general have publicly opposed the order, calling it “wrong on the science and the law,” while Virginia’s AG instructed two university health systems to discontinue care. Pennsylvania, which has a Democratic governor and Republican attorney general, has offered no public guidance — and neither the governor’s nor attorney general’s offices returned messages from the CDT seeking comment.
As it stands, every major health system within Centre County appears to still offer such care — at least for now. A spokesperson for Penn State Health said its current policy remains in effect, implying it offers gender-affirming care to those at least 10 years old while still limiting gender-affirming surgery to those 18 and older. “We are, however, in the process of evaluating appropriate revisions to that policy to align with the executive order,” spokesman Scott Gilbert said in an email.
A spokesperson from Geisinger declined repeated requests for comment. The CDT then called two Geisinger hospitals and at least four switchboard operators while emailing several others. An unnamed employee told the CDT she received no notice about a change in policy, so she believed gender-affirming care there remained in place for minors. The CDT shared its reporting with Geisinger to confirm, but still did not receive a response.
Penn Highlands Healthcare responded quickly and confirmed it has not discontinued gender-affirming care for minors.
“Penn Highlands Healthcare continues to abide by the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act and Section 1557 of federal regulations that together prohibit discrimination in healthcare based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and other protected classes,” spokesperson Corinne Laboon said in an email.
Some health systems have hesitated to disobey the executive order, even if it’s legally paused, because the penalty could potentially be the elimination of their federal funding. That means grants, Medicaid, and more.
State College Borough Mayor Ezra Nanes, whose transgender daughter is undergoing gender-affirming care (not surgical care), said he didn’t blame Mount Nittany Health for its initial decision to halt such care.
“I don’t think we need to blame the hospital,” he added. “They are being forced into a very difficult choice. I would like to see leaders in medical institutions standing up for morals and principles and ethics and what’s right and for the care of their patients. However, I do not blame them when they’re being threatened with an overwhelmingly devastating response from the government.
“So I think we need to hold the president accountable and the federal government accountable for their actions, and not necessarily blame the providers who are trying to keep their institutions viable — so that people can receive care for their hearts and emergency care and cancer care and reproductive care and all the other things people need to be healthy.”
Others didn’t mince words about their feelings on Mount Nittany Health — but for different reasons. One transgender adult patient, who asked not to be named out of fear of harassment, told the CDT their trust was broken after the hospital canceled their consultation for gender-affirming surgery a few days after the executive order. They later discovered the cancellation was a mistake.
Within four hours of the CDT contacting Mount Nittany Health to ask about that incident, the health system called the patient back, according to a phone message reviewed by the CDT. They told the patient they would reschedule but, because that trust was broken, the transgender patient opted to choose another health system.
“There was a miscommunication, and we sincerely apologize for any confusion this may have caused,” the Mount Nittany Health spokesperson said earlier this month. “We are actively working to reschedule any canceled appointments and appreciate our patients’ patience as we make things right.”
The future of gender-affirming care in Centre County, Pennsylvania and the U.S. remains unknown at this point. Washington Attorney General Nick Brown, who was among those who sued the Trump administration, said Feb. 14 the temporary pause on the executive order is just the first step in what should be a long fight.
