10 Mar Health Care Resources in Louisiana and Maine
Hi Everyone,
You know that we want you to be healthy and safe. To help you with your health care journey we are creating a list, by state of health care organizations that serve the transgender, nonbinary, gender queer and non-comforming community. While we are creating this site for you, we are also doing this weekly post on health care. While it’s nice to have a list, in these posts we can also give you a few details on what each of the organizations we post actually do. We’ll just go through the states alphabetically, unless you send us a note and request a particular state and we’ll move requests to the top of the list.
This week we are covering Louisiana and Maine for Transgender, Non-Binary, and Gender Non-Conforming Care.
Many resources are, to their credit, creating comfortable places for routine and proactive health maintenaince as well as interventionary health care. We will try to highlight what is offered in each case.
If you still can’t find the health care you need, drop us a note on FB (B.UR.SLF LLC), instagram/ twitter @burslfllc or email burslfllc@gmail.com and we will see what we can do to help.
This week we are listing resources for Louisiana and Maine.
Louisiana
CrescentCare (Website – Transgender Health Services, FB – CrescentCare, IG – #crescentcare)
The focus of Transgender Health Services is increasing acces to care and hormone therapy. Adult and pediatric care is available at CrescentCare and it is assumed this extends to the transgender individual. There are many routine and preventitive care services available at CrescentCare to care for the entire community alone with focus programs for the transgender and LGBTQ communities including HIV and STD screening, prevention and treatment, specialized HIV, Hepatis B and Heptitis C care, gynecological screenings and care.
Payment Options: Crescent Care accepts a variety of insurance plans, can help you enroll if you are uninsured and has financial assistance options like sliding discounted fees for people who who qualify, check the links for additional information.
Transgender Health Services at CrescentCare is located in New Orleans
Adult and pedicatric patients are accepted at CrescentCare, but check to determine age limits for services.
Planned Parenthood of Louisiana has (2) Planned Parenthood Health Centers which are part of Planned Parenthood of the Gulf Coast – PPGC . PPGC offers gender affirming hormone replacement therapy at their sites through their Trans Care program at some of their Health Centers. In Louisina gender-affirming HRT is offered at the New Orleans Health Center in New Orleans. The New Orleans Health Center also offers telehealth, so you may be able to get HRT from the New Orleans Health Center from anywhere in Louisiana. The Baton Rouge in Baton Rouge can provide maitenance care if you are already taking HRT. Both sites offer telehealth, so if you are not located near one of the Louisiana Health Center sites you can still get HRT remotely via telehealth.
PPGC offers other important services such as wellness screenings/ exams, reproductive health, prevention and treatmet of infections, STIs and HIV at both health centers and by telehealth.
Payment Options: Many PP Health Centers accept insurance and offer financial help, check with the center for details .
The service is intended for adults 18+, but some PP Health Centers offer service to patients 16 to 17 andyou may be able to get HRT with parental consent and additional paperwork, check with the Health Center.
VA Health Care for LGBTQ Veterans in Louisiana (Websites – Alexandria VA Health Care System, Overton Brooks VAMC and Southeast Louisian Veteran’s Health Care System, FB – U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs, IG – @VeteranAffairs)
According to the U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Patient Care Services for LGBT veterans includes the following (and other) services – hormone treatment, treatment and prevention of STIs/PrEP, cancer screening, prevention and treatment. If there are questions reach out to the LGBT Veteran Care Coordinator (VCC) at the site.
Payment Options: VA Health Care is offered free of charge to veterans. Veterans may have some copays.
Alexandria VA Health Care System has (1) medical center in Pineville and (6) associated clinics in Fort Polk, Jennings, Lafayette (2), Lake Charles and Natchitoches.
Overton Brooks VAMC has (1) medical center in Shreveport and (4) associated clinics in Shreveport, Longview and Monroe all in Louisiana and Texarkana in Arkansa.
Southeast Louisiana Veteran’s Health Care System has (1) medical center, New Orleans VAMC, in New Orleans and (7) associated clinics in Baton Rouge, Bogalusa, Franklin, Hammond, Houma, Sidell and Reserve.
LGBT Veteran Care is for U.S. veterans.
NOLA Craniofacial (Website – Gender Confirmation Surgery, FB –NOLA Craniofacial, IG – none found)
NOLA Craniofacial offers a wide variety of gender confirmation surgery including facial feminization or masculization, breast augmentation or chest masculization, phalloplasty and vaginoplasty,
Payment Options: no obvious payment options contact the provider for information
NOLA Craniofacial is located in New Orleans.
No lower age limits state for gender confirmation surgery, but it appears intended for adults, check with NOLA Craniofacial. Also some screening required for +35 candidates.
NOLA Transgender Institute (Website – NOLA Transgender Institute, FB – none found, IG – none found)
NOLA Transgender Transgender Institute is a community site/ collaborative for transgender surgical and medical resources. This multi-disciplinary collaborative offers hormone therapy, gender confirmation surgery, primary care, urology and gynecological services. See a complete list of procedures at the link. CrescentCare and NOLA Craniofacial both partner in the collaborative as well as many other specialists.
PaymentOptions: contact individual collaborative member for information.
The collaborative is located in New Orleans
It appears that services are avaible to children, adolescents and adults, but may vary by collaborative member, so check with the collaborative members on the website for age limits on services.
Maine
Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital (Website – The Gender Clinic, FB –The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital , IG – #barbarabushchildrenshospital)
The Gender Clinic offers gender affirming hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and menstrual suppression, referrals to other service providers.
Payment options: Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital accepts a variety of insurance and financial assistance, click on the link billing and insurance for more information.
The Gender Clinic at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is located in Bangor
The Gender Clinic is for Children and Adolescents.
New England Gender C.A.R.E. (Website – Gender Care Consortium, FB – none found, IG – none found)
New England Gender C.A.R.E. is a consortium of health care providers with a common mission to To improve and support the health and well-being of gender diverse individuals across New England and beyond.
The health care providers in the consortium cover a wide selection of services for pediatric to adolescent to adult patients including hormone therapy, puberty blockers, gender affirming transition surgery, reproductive health including reproductive prevention, assisted reproduction, fertility preservation, HIV/STD prevention, testing and treatment, primary care, physical therapy, voice therapy, hair removal and many other services.
This appears to be a top-notch group of health care providers dedicated to improving the health and life of gender diverse individuals.
Payment Options: contact individual providers for details.
Providers are located all over New England and appear to be spreading to beyond New England, some sevices were located in Virginia.
The New England Gender C.A.R.E Consortium members provide pediatric, adolescent and adult services, but the age of the individuals served varies by member, so check with individual consortium members on the website.
Maine Family Planning (Website – LGBTQ Health Care, FB – Maine Family Planning , IG – @maine_family_planning)
Maine Family Planning include hormone therapy for 18+, reproductive health including birth control, HIV/STD prevention, screening and treatment, routine breast & gynecological screening, primary care (free yearly exam), physical therapy, voice therapy, hair removal and many other services.
Payment Options: a sliding scale based on household income is available, check the website for futher information.
Maine Family Planning has 18 locations around Maine (Maine Family Planning Locations) and Maine Family Planning has providers in our Lewiston, Augusta, Norway, Belfast, Presque Isle, and Waterville health centers who provide gender affirming healthcare services. Through our telehealth system, we usually can provide services to our patients from a site closer to their home
Hormone treatments are limited to 18+, check the clinic for age limitations on other services.
Mabel Wadsworth Center (Website – Gender Affirming Hormone Therapy, FB – Mabel Wadsworth , IG – @mabel.wadsworth)
The Mabel Wadsworth Center offers hormone therapy, and referrals to other services and community resources. There are a variety of other LGBTQ+ Health Services (Mabel Wadsworth LGBTQ HealthCare) including annual wellness exams and cancer screenings, reproductive health, HIV screening and STD screening and testing.
Payment Options: Mabel Wadsworth Center has reduced costs for uninsured patients, click the link for more information.
Mabel Wadsworth is located in Bangor and offers care via telehealth.
No age limits stated, but appears to be for 18+ contact the provider to learn age limits on services.
Baystate Health (Website – Transgender Services, FB – Baystate Health , IG – @baystate_health)
Baystate Health Transgender Services include hormone therapy, STI screening, primary care including referrals and prep for gender confirming surgery, routine Gyn care
Payment Options: Baystate Health accepts most insurance providers and also has guidelines for financial assistance, click the link billing and financial assistance for more information.
Health Centers are located in Springfield and North Hampton.
Age limits for transgender services are not clear, check with Baystate Health for age limitations on services.
Northern Light Health, Eastern Maine Medical Center (Website – Gender Clinic, FB – Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center , IG – @northernlighthealth)
The Gender Clinic services are not very obvious although it seems to offer hormone therapy after several clinical evaluations.
Payment Options: Norther Light Health accepts a variety of insurance options and also has a financial assistance program, check the links for details.
The Eastern Maine Medical Center is located in Bangor, but serves central, eastern, and northern Maine through a variety of locations although different locations appear to have different specialties and it is recommended to starting to seek information from the primary campus.
The Gender Clinic states that it serves children, adolescents, and adults.
Planned Parenthood of Main has (4) Health Centers that are part of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England – PPNNE. All of these locations in Maine offer gender-affrimming hormone replacement therapy at the Health Centers and via Telehealth. The Health Centers are located in Biddeford , Portland , Sanford and Topsham. If you aren’t near one of these locations, contact Planned Parenthood of Northern New England for a telehealth appointment.
PPNNE offers other important services such as wellness screenings/ exams, reproductive health, prevention and treatmet of infections, STIs and HIV at both health centers and by telehealth.
Payment Options: Many PP Health Centers accept insurance and offer financial help, check with the center for details .
The service is intended for adults 18+, but some PP Health Centers offer service to patients 16 to 17 andyou may be able to get HRT with parental consent and additional paperwork, check with the Health Center.
VA Health Care for LGBTQ Veterans in Maine (Websites – VA Maine Health Care System FB – U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs, IG – @VeteranAffairs)
According to the U.S. Dept. of Veteran Affairs, Patient Care Services for LGBT veterans includes the following (and other) services – hormone treatment, treatment and prevention of STIs/PrEP, cancer screening, prevention and treatment. If there are questions reach out to the LGBT Veteran Care Coordinator (VCC) at the site.
Payment Options: VA Health Care is offered free of charge to veterans. Veterans may have some copays.
VA Main Health Care System has (1) medical center, Togus VA Medical Center in Auguasta, (1) residential center for Veterans receiving medical and their families in Augusta and (11) associated clinics in Bangor, Bingham, Calais, Caribou, Fort Kent, Houlton, Lewiston, Lincoln, Portland, Rumford and Saco.
LGBT Veteran Care is for U.S. veterans.
About the author, Gayle M. Frankenbach, Ph.D. is the mother of a Daughter, Lise and a transgender son Elliott. Elliott and Gayle both passionately desire to care about and care for the trans community. Elliott and Gayle also both love the unbound creativity of the cosplay community. When we realized there is a big overlap between the two communities B.UR.SLF, LLC was born at the interface of these two great communities to serve them individually and together. Elliott and Gayle also enjoy running a trans son & parent business to be visible for parents on a journey to visibly support their own trans kids and be a great allies.