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Trans Care BC

Trans Care BC aims to enhance the coordination of trans health services and supports across the province, bringing gender-affirming care closer to home wherever possible.

Watch this video about our vision for health care for trans British Columbians.

 Content Editor ‭[3]‬


What's new

July 13, 2017

Gender Journeys

Trans Care BC is pleased to announce that a new support group model, called Gender Journeys, will be piloted in six locations across the province this fall.   Gender Journeys is a free eight-week support group that explores gender identity and expression in a supportive environment. The Gender Journeys model has been very effective in Ontario and is a partnership between community members, non-profit agencies and other programs. 

Six sites were chosen from a call for applications in the Spring of 2017. We had planned to support four groups but increased the number based on the great response we received. Groups were selected based on the geographic and population diversity that sites will serve and the strength of their application, which was scored with standardized criteria. Two of the pilots will be youth focused; four will be adult focused in settings that range from urban, suburban to rural. Four out of five regional health authorities have a pilot in their regional area; there were no applications received from the North in this call for funding. 

We'll share dates for these pilots once the groups are ready to start their Gender Journeys program.  If these pilots are successful, Trans Care BC will look to fund more sites in 2018 to expand access across BC.  This is just one way that Trans Care BC is contributing to peer and community supports in BC.

The 2017 Gender Journey Pilot Sites are:

  • Fraser Health: Ann Davis Transition Society, Chilliwack (Adults)
  • Island Health: Nanaimo Family Life, Nanaimo (Adult) and Alberni Valley Drug and Alcohol Prevention Services, Port Alberni (Youth)
  • Interior Health: South Okanagan Women in Need Society, Penticton (Youth)
  • Vancouver Coastal Health: Three Bridges, Vancouver (Adults) and CWHWC/PACE, Vancouver (DTES adults)

For more information about work underway, please feel free to contact us at transcarebc@phsa.ca.

May 19, 2017

Upper Surgery Update

The Vancouver-based plastic surgeon, Dr. Bowman, whose office holds the central waitlist for upper surgeries (chest and breast) has been off on a leave since October 2016. This FAQ answers questions about the current situation with upper surgeries in BC. 

March 14, 2017

Delays at Montreal GRS

Trans Care BC has heard from GRS Montreal, the surgical centre providing gender-affirming genital surgeries in Canada, that they are currently experiencing a very high volume of referrals. Responses to calls and emails as well as surgical bookings have been slower than usual. We have been assured that this is temporary and that measures have been implemented that will improve the pre-operative process.

GRS Montreal has appointed two people to support communications with BC clients to ensure that responses to requests are timely and that clients experience safe, high quality care.

Contact people for anyone experiencing problems with the usual processes are:

Céline Bailey 
Email: Celine.Bailey@cmcmontreal.com

Tel: 514-332-7091 ext # 300

Anne Dubé
Email: Anne.Dube@cmcmontreal.com

Tel: 514-332-7091 ext # 212

Routine enquiries should continue to go through the main office: 514-288-2097

Resources

 

Services in BC

Standards of care

Reports

About us

Trans Care BC was established as a program of PHSA in fall 2015 following community engagement, and input from clinical experts and stakeholders from transgender communities.

BC is the first and only province in Canada to create a provincial system to support transgender health.

The program supports the delivery of equitable and accessible care, surgical planning, and peer and community support for transgender and gender-diverse people across BC.

Trans Care BC is working closely with partners and stakeholders – including transgender communities, regional health authorities and the Ministry of Health – to the develop of a comprehensive provincial network of services.

 
Trans Care BC aims to offer expanded and sustainable health services to support transgender communities across the province by:

  • Developing gender-affirming, client-centered models of service
  • Ensuring access to gender-affirming and supportive health care is equitable and available to children, youth, adults and older adults
  • Supporting capacity-building, network development and other efforts to ensure efficient access to information, resources and support for trans and gender-diverse individuals, their families, friends and service/health care providers
Trans Care BC strategic vision graphic.jpg
 

 
Trans Care BC is aligned with international standards of care, and supports the use and distribution of evidence-­based information. We aim to improve care across the continuum and share best practices. 

Using a hub and spoke model of distributed care – including health care provider education as well as novel approaches like health navigators – the program will bring health care closer to home for transgender and gender-diverse people in British Columbia. 

This model allows us to leverage expertise and coordination centrally, but also work to expand primary care and peer support throughout the province. 
 

 
Our approach is to:

  • Earn and build trust with trans communities, trans individuals, gender-creative children and their families as well as with health care partners across BC through engagement and collaboration
  • Take a person-centred approach and working with each individual to achieve their personal health care goals
  • Respect diverse cultures including the unique perspectives and needs of Two-Spirit people
 

 
Trans* is an umbrella term that describes a wide range of people whose gender identity and/or gender expression differ from their assigned sex and/or the societal and cultural expectations of their assigned sex. 

This may include people who are: androgyne, agender, bigender, coercively assigned female at birth (CAFAB), coercively assigned male at birth (CAMAB), female-to-male (FTM), gender creative, gender fluid, gender non-conforming, genderqueer, gender variant, male-to-female (MTF), pangender, questioning, trans, trans man, trans woman, transfeminine, transgender, transmasucline, transsexual and Two-Spirit.
 

 
In October 2014, the Minister of Health announced that the Ministry of Health, Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA) and Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) would be working together to offer expanded and sustainable health services to support transgender communities across the province. 

The Trans*Health steering committee met from December 2014 to May 2015 and developed a provincial network model for person and family-centred health care services for transgender British Columbians.

The committee included trans individuals and family representatives, and consulted with people from transgender communities, clinical experts, and other stakeholders about how best to create and expand services.

Read more about the steering committee's work.
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SOURCE: Trans Care BC ( )
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