El Rio Halts Hormone Therapy for Trans Youth in Response to Trump Directive, Tucson Parents Alarmed

Parents of transgender youth receiving gender-affirming care from Tucson’s El Rio Community Health Center have been informed that the clinic will cease hormone prescriptions for individuals under 19. This change comes in response to directives from the Trump administration.

The notification was sent to parents on Friday, coinciding with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services releasing a report that casts doubt on the safety and efficacy of gender-affirming care—a stance that contradicts the consensus of major medical organizations. While officials from El Rio have declined to comment, multiple parents confirmed they had received the unsettling news.

Kat Stratford, whose son has been under gender-affirming care at El Rio for four years, described the impact of the move as “life-affirming” for her child. She expressed concern over the additional challenges this decision presents, particularly given the existing issues her son faces at school, including bullying.

El Rio has provided a list of alternative providers in California and Mexico where youth can still obtain hormone prescriptions. Stratford is considering traveling to a clinic across the border while managing her son’s remaining medication. Other parents reported similar experiences, being urged to retrieve prescriptions within a 48-hour window.

In one account, a parent recounted visiting several El Rio pharmacies, only to find limited medication supplies and hesitancy among pharmacists to fulfill prescriptions due to potential liabilities. This mother emphasized the critical nature of gender-affirming care in the context of her child’s mental health, noting that it significantly reduces suicidal risks among transgender youth.

Despite the abrupt policy change, El Rio has not made an official statement confirming the end of hormone therapy for transgender youth. Earlier this year, after federal judicial complications arose concerning the executive order, the clinic indicated that it intended to continue offering care while awaiting further legal clarity.

El Rio, a vital healthcare provider for many low-income and uninsured patients, receives substantial federal funding, which it risks losing should it violate the new directives. In past years, the clinic has been instrumental in providing various healthcare services, including hormone therapy and screenings for HIV and other conditions.

Parents like Derrick and Ashly Fiedler, who relocated to Tucson from a state with restrictive trans rights, are now strategizing where to secure hormone prescriptions for their son, who is approaching the age to begin hormone therapy. They described a marked improvement in their son’s mental health since initiating treatment at El Rio.

Ashly, a nurse, voiced her frustration over being unable to make informed healthcare decisions for her child in light of recent changes. The ripple effect of the executive order extends beyond El Rio, with providers across Arizona and the nation scaling back on gender-affirming care.

For over a decade, El Rio has been a reputable provider of gender-affirming care, catering to children who travel from afar for treatment. One concerned parent shared her disappointment, stating that they had entrusted El Rio with their child’s wellbeing, only to feel abandoned in this critical moment of need.