At River Bend Medical Associates, we believe that a gender or gender expression that is different from one’s designated sex at birth is a normal part of the human experience and that all genders, including non-binary people, deserve equal access to high-quality healthcare that includes gender-affirming care.
Our family practice offers a safe and affirming environment. We are interested in you and helping you become the healthiest person you can be by offering culturally sensitive healthcare services providing information and giving you time, space, and control, so you can make choices that are right for you.
Gender and Healthcare
At River Bend Medical Associates, we want our patients to feel truly comfortable with us, which means recognizing that standard binary male/female options are not enough. Though we may need information that matches what your insurance currently has on file, we want you to include whatever information you feel is important for our healthcare team to know you, including your pronouns, gender, and name.
We know that many gender-diverse patients have endured poor healthcare experiences and may have a lot of lingering anxiety and trust issues. We want to change that. Our team of healthcare professionals are dedicated to supporting the health and well-being of transgender, gender diverse, and questioning people.
Gender-Affirming Health Services
New patients of all gender identities and sexual orientations are welcome. Our compassionate doctors understand that each patient’s background is unique, so we take the time to learn their perspective to help guide them through their treatment options.
Some examples of things we can help with:
- Culturally sensitive primary care services
- Preventive medical care
- Testing, evaluation, counseling, preventive measures, and treatment of complex infections such as HIV/AIDS, STIs (sexually transmitted infections), viral hepatitis, travel-related illnesses, and more. Including PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) and Prep (pre-exposure prophylaxis therapy) for HIV prevention.
- TGNB-sensitive Cervical cancer and breast cancer screening
- Family planning services that are compassionate to the unique needs of the LGB/TGNB community.
- We offer Gender-Affirming treatments for transgender and gender-diverse individuals, including hormone therapy.
- We provide referrals to specialists for more complex gender-affirming surgical procedures.
River Bend Medical Associates is committed to providing high-quality, patient-centered, compassionate healthcare services to people with diverse expressions of gender and sexuality, including hormonal transition therapy.
Hormone therapy is the treatment for changing the dominant composition of hormones in one’s body. The specific medications, dosages, and routes of HRT administration given differ between individuals. Patients may be prescribed testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and/or anti-androgen. Managing and adjusting the levels of these hormones allow individuals to transition from their assigned sex from birth, assisting with gender dysphoria and overall contentment.
Our care team understands that not every gender-diverse person is the same and that no two paths to affirmation are the same. Your doctor will listen to you and help you map out a hormone plan to reach your goals, including those that affirm non-binary or genderqueer identities.
While all our doctors are culturally competent, qualified to prescribe and manage medications and therapies, and dedicated to providing expert healthcare to all members of our community, we believe it is not unreasonable to seek out a doctor who has a special interest in working with members of the LGBTQIA+ community, or specifically for gender-affirming care, so don’t be afraid to ask. We are here to help gender diverse, gender non-conforming, non-binary, genderqueer, and transgender patients, and their families along their journey.
We believe our role is to help trans and gender-diverse patients by seeing each as an individual, accepting them without judgment, allowing their gender identity and expression to unfold over time, and providing them with the healthcare support they need to live their lives truly.