Several New York City parents say the rug has been pulled out from under their kids’ medical care at Mount Sinai Health System, claiming the hospital network abruptly stopped providing gender-affirming treatment for minors. Families report being told the system was no longer accepting new pediatric patients, and that some existing patients would no longer be seen there. Parents say they were urged to move up appointments or steered to private clinics, as they were informed the pediatric gender-affirming program was ending, leaving them scrambling to secure hormone therapy and follow-up care.
Parents' accounts
The parents’ stories were detailed in interviews with parents published on Feb. 21. Among those speaking out was Dawn Gabriel, who said her son started testosterone at Mount Sinai at 14. She told reporters her family was informed that the health system would not take any new pediatric patients for gender-affirming care and could not continue treating current pediatric patients in the program. According to the report, Mount Sinai declined to answer multiple questions about the families’ accounts.
Federal pressure and a wave of hospital pullbacks
The tension is unfolding against a backdrop of federal moves that have already started to reshape hospital policy. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have proposed rules that would bar hospitals from performing certain “sex-rejecting” procedures on children and could make participation in Medicare and Medicaid conditional on following those rules. CMS has said in a statement that it is reviewing public comments on the proposals.
The chill is not limited to Mount Sinai. Earlier in the week, NYU Langone announced it would shut down its Transgender Youth Health Program, citing the departure of its medical director along with the “current regulatory environment.” That decision drew swift criticism from state and local officials, who warned that shuttering services for trans youth in major hospital systems could have serious consequences for access to care.
State officials push back
New York health leaders moved quickly to remind hospitals that state law still applies. In a letter to hospital administrators, the Department of Health stressed that denying services based on gender identity may violate state anti-discrimination rules and highlighted hospitals’ obligations to ensure continuity of care for patients already in treatment.
Local elected officials and Attorney General Letitia James have also pushed back on the federal pressure. James has sued HHS over the proposed funding conditions and has warned that withdrawing care for trans patients could run afoul of New York’s human-rights protections, putting hospitals in a potential legal crossfire as they weigh their next steps.
Families searching for alternatives
Parents told Gothamist they were referred to private clinics that often come with long waitlists or higher out-of-pocket costs, making an already stressful process even more complicated. Some families said they are now considering leaving the country to secure stable care for their children.
Gabriel described a long, careful process leading up to her son’s treatment. “It’s not like we showed up one day and they threw testosterone into our hands,” she told Gothamist, explaining that years of evaluation and therapy came before any medical intervention. Advocates warn that pushing families into fragmented care, or away from established hospital systems and into scattered private practices, creates new barriers for young people who are already vulnerable.
Legal context and what’s next
Hospitals are making operational calls while the legal fight over the federal rules is still unfolding. CMS has not finalized the proposed changes, and both public-comment proceedings and court challenges are ongoing. New York officials maintain that state law protects access to gender-affirming care and have urged providers to keep services in place where they can, while advocates caution that even short-term disruptions can have immediate mental-health consequences for trans youth.
Mount Sinai declined to answer multiple questions when outlets asked about the parents’ reports, and the situation remains fluid, with families, providers and regulators all trying to figure out what comes next.
