The Champlain region is currently facing a trans health crisis. The two primary trans health providers in the region, Centretown Community Health Centre’s Trans Health Program and CHEO’s Gender Diversity Clinic, are facing ever growing demand that outpaces capacity. Two Spirit, trans, intersex and gender diverse patients are facing months-long wait times to access potentially life saving hormone starts and surgery referrals. A crucial step to improving trans health in the Champlain region is the active involvement of primary health care providers in gender-affirming care.
Many aspects of gender-affirming healthcare rest within the purview of primary care providers, including general physicians and nurse practitioners. Centretown Community Health Centre and CHEO’s Gender Diversity Clinic have compiled the following supports and resources to help primary care providers build their knowledge, confidence and competence in transition-related healthcare.
eConsults for Trans Health, which are available on both the OTNHub and Champlain BASE eConsult platforms. More information available at: eConsult Ontario
Q&A for clinicians with Rainbow Health Ontario, no registration or pre-requisite required: systemnavigation@
Trans Health Mentorship Calls offered by: Rainbow Health Ontario
Sherbourne Health Centre’s Quick Reference Guide
Health Quality Ontario Gender-Affirming Care for Gender-Diverse People
Max Ottawa & CCHC Gender Affirming Care Toolkit
Transition Related Surgeries FAQ
Surgical Summary Sheets
Rainbow Health Ontario Training
McMaster TransEd online learning modules
Trans Care Plus Care Hub
To join the Gender Affirming Care Community of Practice, which connects and supports local primary care providers in the provision of transition-related healthcare services. We are we are grateful to the University of Ottawa’s Department of Family Medicine for coordinating this offering for providers.
Click here to register your interest in the Community of Practice.
Click here to access free GAC clinical and community resources provided by the CoP.
Sherbourne Health has developed guidelines for gender-affirming primary care. They have information on assessing readiness, diagnosis, hormone therapy, blood work monitoring and links to the surgeries that are covered by OHIP. Also included are consent forms and EAP forms.
The MAX Ottawa Gender Affirming Care Toolkit provides a range of resources, research, handouts, and education and training materials targeted to care providers.
This toolkit also offers verified healthcare providers access to documents on Operationalizing Care.
eConsult is a secure web-based tool, hosted on OTNHub, that allows physicians or nurse practitioners timely access to specialist advice for all patients. Gender-affirming care advice is available on eConsult from a number of specialists across the province.
How to Submit an eConsult to a Transgender specialist or specialty group:
Search ‘Transgender’ in the OTNHub Directory to view a list of physicians who provide gender- affirming care eConsult advice and use the Request eConsult icon in the top right corner of the specialist’s listing.
After clicking ‘Request an eConsult’ in your dashboard, choose ‘BASE Managed Specialty’ and then ‘Transgender’, or, Consult with local trans specialists by searching ‘HNHB Regional Transgender Group’ in the OTNHub Directory and use the Request eConsult icon in the top right corner of the group’s listing.
Rainbow Health Ontario (RHO) offers a range of supports for health care providers through an online learning platform. Create an account to access both foundational and more specialized courses. The three courses specific to primary care are:
RHO also offers a twice monthly Trans Health Mentorship Call, that can be accessed by enrolling through their learning platform linked above. This conference call acts as a community of practice for providing health care to trans patients. Health care providers can ask specific case-based questions or listen and learn from other professionals working with trans patients.
The SOGI Nursing Website offers a toolkit for Nurses and Nursing Educators committed to providing resources and education around 2SLGBTQ+ issues in health care. The toolkit is comprised of 5 lessons designed for self-directed learning. Explore the toolkit to gain access to introductory knowledge on these topics, teaching tools, learning resources, and links to relevant external resources.
