By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston officially launched what state officials describe as the nation’s first dedicated detransition clinic Monday, Oct. 26, establishing a program to provide medical, surgical and psychological care to patients who previously underwent gender-transition treatments.
The facility opened following a $10 million settlement with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and the Trump administration’s Justice Department over allegations that the hospital improperly billed insurers and government health programs for gender-transition procedures involving minors.
According to Just the News’ report announcing the opening, the new clinic will serve patients through age 21 who previously received transition-related medical interventions. Certain specialized services will also be available to older adults under the settlement agreement.
The clinic is accepting appointment requests and will provide services across multiple medical specialties, including endocrinology, surgery, primary care, fertility counseling, psychiatry, psychology, speech pathology and social work.
Vanessa Sivadge, a former Texas Children’s Hospital nurse whose whistleblower allegations contributed to investigations of the hospital, announced the opening Monday and praised the state officials and attorneys involved in establishing the facility.
“Today, Texas Children’s Hospital has officially launched their Detransition Clinic,” Sivadge wrote on X.
“I extend my heartfelt gratitude once again to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and my attorneys at the Burke Law Group for their extraordinary dedication, sacrifice, and tireless efforts throughout this fight,” she continued.
Sivadge said the clinic represented an important development for people who experienced difficulties following transition-related medical treatment.
“I think of all the detransitioners who have suffered in silence, been dismissed, and fought desperately to have their voices heard. This win is for them,” she wrote.
“I hope TCH’s admirable effort to fund and launch Americas first detransition clinic becomes a turning point for the entire country. That this clinic is not the exception, but the first of many.”
The opening fulfills a requirement established under a settlement initially announced May 15 and finalized in August.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office confirmed Aug. 5 that Texas Children’s Hospital had agreed to pay $10 million to resolve allegations involving improper Medicaid billing for prohibited gender-transition procedures.
Of that amount, $8.576 million was designated for the state of Texas. The settlement also required the hospital to establish the detransition clinic by the end of October 2026.
Under the agreement, Texas Children’s must fund the clinic’s services for its first five years, allowing eligible patients to receive care without charge.
The program is designed to assist individuals experiencing medical complications, fertility concerns or other health needs after previously receiving puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones or surgical interventions.
The settlement agreement published by the Justice Department requires multidisciplinary care for eligible patients through age 21, as well as detransition-related obstetric and gynecological services for patients older than 21.
The agreement also requires the hospital to stop performing specified gender-transition procedures on minors and permanently revoke the privileges of five physicians associated with the treatments under investigation.
Texas Children’s must adopt additional compliance measures, including changes to its medical staff bylaws and procedures intended to prevent violations of state restrictions on transition-related care for minors.
The hospital previously maintained that its medical practices complied with applicable laws and said it agreed to settle to avoid prolonged litigation.
In a statement reported by The Texas Tribune, Texas Children’s explained that the new clinic would formalize services already available through its medical system.
“The detransition clinic will formalize the supportive, multidisciplinary services we already deliver to all patients who need our care,” the hospital stated. “This simply provides structure and a name for the services we currently provide.”
Paxton has characterized the settlement as a significant development in Texas’ enforcement of restrictions on gender-transition treatments for minors.
The attorney general’s investigation began in 2023, the same year Texas enacted Senate Bill 14, which prohibited certain gender-transition medical interventions for children.
In announcing the finalized settlement, Paxton praised the hospital’s agreement to establish the clinic and make its services available at no cost during the initial five-year period.
The Justice Department separately described the agreement as a precedent for federal investigations into potential violations involving pediatric gender-transition treatments.
However, the settlement has also drawn criticism from LGBTQ advocacy organizations and medical professionals who argue that decisions concerning gender-related health care should remain between patients, families and qualified clinicians.
Medical organizations have recognized that some individuals discontinue or reverse aspects of a gender transition for a variety of reasons, including changes in personal circumstances, medical concerns and dissatisfaction with treatment.
Detransition may involve discontinuing hormone treatment, pursuing additional medical procedures or seeking psychological support. Not every individual who detransitions regrets receiving earlier treatment.
The effectiveness and appropriate use of specific medical interventions depend on individual circumstances, and some physical changes associated with transition-related treatments may be irreversible.
The new clinic’s multidisciplinary structure is intended to address those varied needs through coordinated medical care.
As The Daily Signal reported Monday, the hospital’s website is accepting requests for appointments, although the institution has not publicly disclosed how many patients are expected to participate.
The program represents a new institutional approach to providing specialized services for people seeking assistance after transition-related treatment. Texas officials describe it as the first clinic of its kind nationwide, although that designation has not been established through a comprehensive comparison of all existing medical facilities.
For Texas Children’s Hospital, the opening completes a central requirement of its settlement with state and federal authorities while establishing a dedicated program for patients seeking detransition-related medical and psychological care.
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