Severe Shortage of Transgender Surgeons Contribute to High Suicide Rate

According to Dr. Sherman Leis, a transgender surgery pioneer and founder of the Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, "There is a crisis in the transgender community in the U.S., resulting from a dramatic shortage of transgender surgeons and other specialized medical practitioners.�

This shortage results in an excessively long wait for those desiring transgender surgery. Since depression and suicide rates for transgender people drop precipitously after transitioning, this backlog of those awaiting surgery is a needless cause of suffering and death for many transgender people."
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At one time a key roadblock limiting transgender surgery was the lack of health insurance coverage.� Today, that roadblock is disappearing as�transgender surgery is becoming partially or completely covered by most company-offered policies, as well as Obamacare.�

"It is true that the number of transgender surgeries in the U.S. has risen each year, but the question must be asked, why isn't there a significant rise in surgeries, now that the insurance coverage obstacle has been diminished?"�said Dr. Leis. "America is on its way toward solving its health insurance problem for transgender people.� Now it needs to solve its medical personnel and facilities problem.� For many transgender people, it's a matter of life and death."
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Dr. Leis notes that currently, physicians who have minimal or no training in the mental health, hormonal and surgical aspects of transgender medicine are trying to pick up the slack by treating transgender patients, often resulting in inferior quality care, serious complications and sometimes irreversible surgical deformities.

Dr. Leis recommends four initiatives the medical community must adopt in order to permanently solve this issue:
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1) Provide focused training for transgender patients in every medical and nursing school.
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2) Provide a transgender-focused rotation and specialty training track as an optional part of every medical curriculum.
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3) Provide a dedicated, transgender certification standard that doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals must meet in order to be certified to work with transgender patients.
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4) Expand services for transgender adults and children at all clinics and hospitals and provide sensitivity training for all who work there.
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"The medical community must recognize that this is not just a matter of diversity in including the transgender community, rather, it is matter of life and death for those transgender people who await transgender surgery and care that just may not happen quickly enough for them," said Dr. Leis.
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Dr. Sherman Leis is one of the world's pre-eminent transgender surgeons and founder of The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery, located in Bala Cynwyd, PA. It is recognized as one of the leading facilities in the world specializing in gender reassignment surgery.
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The Center was founded to be a single source of information and expertise in medical care for the transgender. The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery offers a uniquely supportive environment where one can connect with Dr. Leis' surgical and non-surgical team of dedicated specialists -- surgeons, psychologists, endocrinologists, aestheticians, speech therapists, legal experts, and others.�
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The Philadelphia Center for Transgender Surgery is located in suburban Philadelphia at 19 Montgomery Avenue, Bala Cynwyd, PA�19004.�