Age - place - coverage - language - waitlist - referral - reference letter
If you are a student at the University of Ottawa, you can access gender-affirming care, such as hormone therapy, directly through the Student Health and Wellness Center. The SHWC welcomes Doctor Laura Mechefske to its team, bringing with them more than ten years of experience offering gender-affirming care.
Doctor Mechefske’s approach is very patient-orientated. They offer a safe and inclusive space to talk about your goals and discuss your options, so that you can make the choices that are best for you. Doctor Mechefske invites not only students seeking treatment, but also students with questions or concerns regarding gender-affirming care or 2SLGBTQ+ healthcare.
What services can students get for gender-affirming care? How can they access these services?
https://www.uottawa.ca/campus-life/health-wellness/student-health-wellness-centre/personalized-health-education-program
Primary care providers in both Ontario and Quebec can prescribe hormone therapy. Your first step if you’re thinking about starting hormone therapy should be to book an appointment with your general practitioner to discuss it with them.
What you can expect from your primary care provider really depends on their level of comfort. Many general practitioners will not feel comfortable prescribing hormones. You may instead be referred to an endocrinologist that can prescribe hormone therapy.
Hormone therapy in the Outaouais region is in high demand. Endocrinologists that will provide hormone therapy often have long waitlists and may also stop accepting new patients and referrals once they reach capacity. In some cases, you may have to wait several months before you are able to see an endocrinologist. For this reason, it is important to advocate for yourself during appointments with your primary care provider, not only for hormone therapy starts, but also for continuing care.
Rainbow Health Ontario provides information, training, and other resources to physicians so they can learn about how to care for their trans patients. Resources are offered below that you can share with your general practitioner to help them access the information they need. They can also visit rainbowhealthontario.ca/healthcare-provider to access a database of resources created with physicians and other healthcare providers in mind.
Guidelines reflecting the primary care practice with trans patients taken by providers at the Sherbourne Health clinic in downtown Toronto.
Training opportunities offered by Rainbow Health Ontario for providers concerning 2SLGBTQ+ healthcare.
Clinical resources, education, and mentorship calls for healthcare professionals.
The information contained within this guide are based on the Sherbourne Health Guidelines.
Teleconference for Ontario clinicians who want to connect to peers with experience caring for trans patients.
Guidelines for primary and gender-affirming care by the University of California - San Francisco in the United States.
If your primary care physician cannot or will not prescribe hormones to you, there are different options still available in order to access hormone therapy. If you are a student at the University of Ottawa, you can access gender-affirming care directly through the Student Health and Wellness Center. If not, the providers below can offer hormone therapy. Wait times can be variable, and some providers may require a referral.
https://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/service-provider-directory/dave-smith-youth-treatment-centre/
https://www.rainbowhealthontario.ca/service-provider-directory/kanata-med-team-clinic/