N.B. Transgender Health Network calls for provincial gender-affirming care clinic

New Brunswick's provincial flag flies on a flagpole in Ottawa, Monday, July 6, 2020.

The New Brunswick Transgender Health Network is calling for a provincial gender-affirming care clinic to ensure accessible health care for Two-Spirit, transgender and gender-diverse (2STGD) people.

The network is asking for the provincial government, along with Horizon Health and Vitalité, to establish the clinic. It notes the province lacks a dedicated clinic or program, despite New Brunswick having more 2STGD people than the national average, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 census.

“In New Brunswick, we have a variety of providers who do gender-affirming care, not everybody works in their own silos which means access to care is very variable,” said Dr. Kathleen Taylor, a family physician in Fredericton. “There are huge discrepancies in terms of wait times. It also means people don’t get access to the same quality of care depending on where they live.”

The network notes Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia both have dedicated services and clinics.

“Our provincial government has shown an ability to put up collaborative care clinics pretty quickly,” Taylor said. “We’d like to see the same intensity for this clinic.”

The network said a centralized clinic could offer:

• coordinated gender-affirming hormone therapy
• surgical navigation
• mental health support
• in-person and virtual navigation services
• reliable point of contact for providers
• system-wide training

The network says 64 per cent of 2STGD in New Brunswick report unmet health needs while up to 43 per cent report suicide attempts.

For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.