JEFFERSON CITY — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday called for a “fresh evaluation†of a ºüÀêÊÓƵ transgender clinic’s practices following a recent investigation into the center.
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, called on Washington University and BJC HealthCare to scrutinize the Washington University Transgender Center at ºüÀêÊÓƵ Children’s Hospital once again after T into claims by Jamie Reed, a whistleblower who had worked at the clinic as a case manager between 2018 and 2022.
The New York Times investigation in some cases contradicted previous representations Washington University and BJC HealthCare made to the senator’s office, Hawley said in a Thursday letter.
Reed in February had claimed that staff at the center too freely prescribed medications and did not properly explain the side effects.
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Washington University in April said that it had identified no “adverse physical reactions†caused by medicine prescribed there, and that mental health care had been prioritized. The school said it was operating according to “the currently accepted standard of care.â€
Then, in August, the Times reported a ºüÀêÊÓƵ patient named Alex who posted a “warning†on Reddit about the ºüÀêÊÓƵ transgender clinic. The patient, who has detransitioned, shared her medical records with the Times.
The patient reported coming to the clinic in 2017 as a 15-year-old, and that she received a prescription for testosterone after one visit with Dr. Christopher Lewis, a pediatric endocrinologist who helped lead the center when it opened that year, the Times reported.
“There was no actual speaking to a psychiatrist or another therapist or even a case worker,†Alex wrote on Reddit.
Alex said she didn’t regret taking testosterone but that “overall, there was a major lack of care and consideration for me,†the Times reported.
The Times also reported the center struggled to deal with a surge of patients last year and brought in outside help for mental evaluations to determine whether patients should receive hormonal medications.
“The Times report invites further scrutiny into previous statements contained in the University’s internal review of the Center,†Hawley said Thursday.
“For example, the review states that University physicians and Center staff ‘treat patients according to the currently accepted standard of care,’†the senator said.
But, according to text messages the Times obtained, “the Center’s lead physician said he had ‘no idea how to meet what would be the most intensive interpretations’ of the latest standard of care — raising questions about the procedures and processes actually employed at the Center,†Hawley said.
Hawley said that Times reporting on mental health evaluations being outsourced to therapists, some of whom had little experience on gender issues, undermined the university’s claim that mental health care and counseling is a priority at the center.
A spokeswoman for Washington University did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.