Cabán asks if DOHMH treats gender-affirming care as suicide prevention
Cabán asks whether denial of puberty blockers or hormone therapy elevates suicide risk and whether DOHMH reflects affirming care in suicide prevention planning. Davidoff says yes, citing Trevor Project research and youth suicide prevention efforts focused on marginalized youth.
And you should stay put because my line of questions is mostly for you.
I'm not going anywhere.
Okay, great.
So research has also shown that transgender youth who are denied access to puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormone therapy are at significantly elevated risk for suicidal ideation and self-harm compared to those who receive care.
Does DOHMH view access to gender-affirming care as a suicide prevention strategy, and is it reflected in the city's suicide prevention planning?
Yes, UHMH absolutely, along with other validated public health sources, views access to gender-affirming care as part of a broader suicide prevention strategy.
The Trevor Project's research, which was also cited earlier, shows that access to gender-affirming care and gender-affirming environments significantly reduces suicide risk among transgender and non-binary youth.
And all of our youth suicide prevention initiatives are designed first and foremost to reduce suicide disparities among marginalized youth, and this includes LGBT.
Q plus youth.
Yeah.