Center for Gender Affirming Medicine
Adolescent Medicine offers the Center for Gender Affirming Medicine for transgender and LGBTQ+ youth. Our team includes gender-affirming physicians, a medical assistant, social worker, nurse coordinator, mental health therapist and endocrinologist.
We provide customized, thoughtful, evidence-based care with tools ranging from mental health therapy to medication to family support. Our goals are to help gender-diverse youth feel comfortable exploring their gender identity and improve their overall health.
We provide:
- Pubertal suppression
- Gender-affirming hormones for older adolescents and young adults
- Mental health care coordination
- Well checks/preventive visits
- Education
- Supportive care for LGBTQ+ youth and their families
We've outlined our clinical path below to help you understand our process and how to begin. Or, click here to download a copy.
Our Doctors/Providers
Contact Us and Intake Process
Call the Adolescent Medicine department. Please leave a message with your child’s full legal name, date of birth and the best phone number to reach you.
Refer yourself, or have a provider refer you.
Call 330-543-8538. Select option 6.
Please leave a message with preferred times for us to call you back. We will respond in 7-10 business days.
Complete the intake process by phone.
We will call you back and complete the intake by phone. The call will last approximately 30 minutes.
Write down any questions you have about the gender-affirming medicine program.
Meet with the Team
Meet our multidisciplinary team.
This is a two-hour intake assessment. We will provide a note pad and pen for you.
Whom you’ll meet:
- Adolescent Medicine physician.
- Mental health specialist.
- Social worker.
What to expect:
- Share your gender journey.
- Medical and mental health history.
- Assess current mental health and mental health supports.
- Brief physical exam.
Create a plan:
- Where do I go from here?
- Follow up with Adolescent Medicine?
- Schedule with Endocrinology?
- Continue with or connect to mental health specialist.
Next Steps
Start gender-affirming treatment, if appropriate and desired.
Adolescent Medicine:
- Menstrual suppression, continued monitoring.
Endocrinology:
- Puberty blockers, gender-affirming hormone therapies.
- This is a separate appointment and requires informed consent from parents until you turn 18.
Mental Health Care:
- Establish care with a gender-affirming therapist for ongoing monitoring of mental health. This may be an Akron Children’s or community provider.
- To start gender-affirming treatment, you will likely need a letter of support from your therapist.
Your Care Journey
Continue receiving care.
- Adolescent Medicine will follow you through age 24 and can manage your hormone therapies if you are 18 or older at your first assessment.
- Endocrinology will manage your hormone therapies if you are 17 or younger at your first assessment.
- Mental health specialists and Social Work will be available for consultation and ongoing support, as needed.
- A nurse coordinator will help with ongoing medication questions or concerns, education and resources, and general program questions.
- We will help transition you to an adult provider, when appropriate.
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