Student concerns about a possible gap in transgender health care at UW-Stout have apparently been satisfied.
With the university’s decision to switch from its own Student Health Services (SHS) to health care provider Prevea Health, concerns about the availability of transgender health care for new patients during the transition time were resolved after discussions between UW-Stout’s student government and university officials.
This was confirmed to the CVPost by Cody Gentz, president-elect of the Stout Student Association (SSA).
SSA meets with the top UW-Stout officials
Gentz, said he was part of a group consisting of student government members and a few other concerned students that met with Dean of Students Sandra Scott and Chancellor Katherine Frank to address their concerns about the lapse in transgender health care assistance.
This meeting in late December was followed by a second one after winter break, when the group of students once again met with the chancellor.
At this follow up meeting Gentz said the students were told that Prevea ended up contracting with Dr. Alexandra Hall, the person who had been responsible for SHS’ transgender health care.
The UW-Stout website lists Hall as a Senior Lecturer in the Biology department as well as a staff physician. Gentz said she partners with Prevea to ensure continuity of transgender health services.
Gentz said Hall was contracted by Prevea to help train Prevea providers about transgender health care, to reduce the time lapse when these services would be unavailable to new patients.
This new partnership reduced the anticipated eight-month gap in care for new transgender student patients to one month. January was the only month when new patients were not accepted for transgender health care.
According to Dana Jermstad, Prevea Health’s Director of Communication and Public Relations, Prevea has provided transgender care without any disruption, due to the partnership with Hall.
Note: information for this story was gathered by Lisa Snyder of the CVPost staff.