16 Jun Healthcare Resources and HRT for the Transgender Community in Rhode Island
Hi Everyone,
This has become a very challenging time for almost all Americans and especially for the LGBTQ+ community. While we work to meet these challenges and support each other it is important to make sure we take care of our own health. We are updating our #WellnessWednesday posts to document sites that are still compassionately offering Transhealth services. We are doing this work by states in alphabetical order. You know that we want you to be healthy and safe.
This week we are covering resources in Rhode Island. Rhode Island has a ton of resources for transgender, nonconforming, non-binary, gender queer and LGBTQ+ communities. Many resources across the country are, to their credit, creating comfortable places for transitional medicine as well as routine proactive health maintenance and 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.
Rhode Island
Transgender healthcare is available in Rhode Island through clinics and hospitals that often follow World Profession Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) standards. Services may include hormone therapy, surgical referrals, and behavioral health support. Rhode Island law also protects against discrimination based on gender identity, and state-mandated insurance coverage for procedures like top surgery and vaginoplasty is available through many plans, but checking with your specific insurer is recommended.
The Trans* Health Access team is a group of medical, behavioral health, and allied service professionals working to improve access to culturally and clinically competent healthcare for the trans community and offers medical, dental, and behavioral health care including gender-affirming hormone therapy. Thundermist HC offers many other services including preventive care, HIV prevention and convenient care.
Payment Options: Thundermist has a sliding scale program. Check with the provider for cost.
Thundermist has locations in Woonwocket, West Warick, and South County.
Age limits for services are not obvious, these services appear to be oriented to adults, but call with any questions on age limitations.
Open Door Health (Website – Gender Affirming Care, FB – Open Door Health , IG – @open_door_health)
Gender Affirming Care service at Open Door Health includes gender-affirming hormone therapy, and referrals for gender-confirmation surgery. Open Door Health also offers primary care contraception options and sexual health, including STI testing and treatment, HIV testing, preventions e.g PEP, PrEP DoxyPEP, and care, walk-in express testing for STI/HIV available.
Payment Options: Open Door Health accepts many insurance plans and also has a sliding fee scale, click the link insurance and payments for more information.
Open Door Health is located in Providence.
Check with provider for age limitations on services.
(Website – Gender Affirming Care, FB – Lifespan – A Health System, IG – @LifespanHealth)
Open Door Health, Rhode Island’s first LGBTQ+ and community clinic offers a wide range services available to all people including primary care, HIV, SIT testing, counseling, and treatment PEP and PrEP, contraception and gynecological care including PAP smears. For services at each of PP organizations, click the services links in the above paragraphs.
Brown University Health (Website – Adult Transgender and Sexual Behavioral Health Program, and Adolescent Medicine, FB – Brown University Health, IG – @Brown University Health)
Brown University Health offers gender-affirming hormone therapy . Brown University Health offers a variety other medical and behavioral services, throughout their network of health care providers including primary care and sexual health. There is a list of services and locations for these services on their website
Payment Options: include insurance and financial assistance, click the link insurance, billing and financial assistance for more information and student health insurance covers health care for students as well as gender-affirming health care.
Brown University Health has multiple locations, click the link for more information.
Check with the providers for exact age limitations for programs.
The University of Rhode Island, Health Services (Website – Transgender Health, FB – The University of Rhode Island Health Services, IG – @urihealthsvcs
Transgender Health offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary services including referrals to a provider for gender-affirming hormone therapy and assistance with instruction and injection for hormone therapy once prescribed and referrals for gender-affirming surgeries. Other services include primary care, gynecologic care, including pelvic exams and cervical cancer screening, sexual health, and wellness services.
Payment Options: Most services are fully covered by student health care (the university charges a fee for health care) but there can he copays or fees for services not covered by the health services fee or other insurance programs.
Transgender Health is located on campus at Health Services in Kingston.
Transgender Health services are for full-time students and part-time students who’ve paid the health services fee.
Plume Clinic 100% On-Line Gender-Affirming and Trans-Focused Healthcare (Website – Plume, FB – Plume Clinic, IG – @plume_clinic)
Plume Clinic offers 100% on-line gender-affirming and trans-focused care for your full authentic self. They offer a wide range of services including gender-affirming hormone therapy transition support, sexual health services, mental health and everyday wellness.
Click the Rhode Island link for Plume Clinic online services.
Payment Options: Plume accepts self-pay in Alaska for their monthly membership plans.
Patients must be 19 years of age to get services from Plume
Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island is part of (1) organization Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) and has (1) health center (Websites – PPSNE, FB – Planned Parenthood Southern New England, IG – @ppsne).
PPSNE has (1) health center in providence, Providence Health Center, which offers gender-affirming HRT at the location and by telehealth to patients anywhere in the state of Rhode Planned Parenthood organizations offer a wide range services available to all people including primary care, HIV, SIT testing, counseling, and treatment PEP and PrEP, contraception and gynecological care including PAP smears. For services at each of PP organizations, click the services links in the above paragraphs.
Payment Options: Many PP Health Centers accept insurance and offer financial help, check on the websites and with the center for details.
The service is intended for adults 18+, but the many 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 Rhode Island – We no longer recommend VA Health Care or Clinics as a safe space for transgender and LGBTQ persons.
Youth Pride (Website – Medical Health Providers, FB – Youth Pride, IG – @ypi_ri)
Youth Pride, Inc. is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of youth and young adults impacted by sexual orientation and gender identity/expression while working to end the homophobic and transphobic environments in which they live, work and play. Youth Pride Inc. is here to advocate for the policy needs of LGBTQQ youth and to foster self-advocacy among the youth that we serve. This includes everything from testifying at the statehouse and attending rallies to addressing the needs of youth in schools or in out of home care. As part of their mission they collated a list of Medical Health Providers (link above) for LGBTQQ youth in Rhode Island.
For payment options, locations and age limitations for services, contact individual providers.
PFLAG Providence (Website – PFLAG Greater Providence, FB – PFLAG Greater Providence, IG – @pflaggreaterprovidence)
PFLAG the Medical Health Providers from Youth Pride. PFLAG is included because they may have other helpful resource on their website.
For payment options, locations and age limitations for services, contact individual providers.
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.