While individual states are battling over transgender healthcare, some patients and providers on the ground have been left with few options.

Since 2021, at least 24 states have enacted bans on medication and/or surgical care for transgender youth, and six of those states—North Dakota, Idaho, Oklahoma, Alabama, Florida, and South Carolina—have criminalized care like hormones, surgeries, and puberty blockers for transgender youth, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a think tank that researches laws affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

Nearly 39%, or about 118,300, transgender children live in states that have passed laws against gender-affirming care, according to the health policy research firm KFF.

“Trans healthcare has never been more important,” Liana Guzmán, CEO of LGBTQ+ digital primary care company Folx Health, told Healthcare Brew.

Keep reading here.—CM

Welcome to September’s On Rotation (formerly known as Movers & Shakers)!

We keep our fingers on the pulse of who’s moving where in the healthcare world, from small startups bringing in new leadership to big orgs trading seasoned execs. Each month we highlight some of the major job changes in the healthcare sector.

Here’s a noncomprehensive roundup of the past month’s career shifts.

Have a job announcement to share? Drop Caroline or Cassie an email at [email protected] or [email protected].

April Audain: Denver Health named Audain, who previously served as VP of finance at Parkland Health in Dallas, Texas, as its next CFO.

Brenda Battle: After 12 years as SVP for community health transformation, chief equity officer, and head of the Urban Health Initiative for UChicago Medicine, Battle has announced her retirement at the end of 2024.

Pol Boudes: Massachusetts-based Rectify Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company that makes small molecule therapeutics, named Boudes as chief medical officer.

Keep reading here.—CM

Ovia Health, a family health benefits platform owned by Labcorp, recently announced it’s adding a postpartum care program to its platform.

Starting in October, patients that receive Ovia through their employer or health plan will be able to access a 12-month program that targets a range of potential issues that can arise during the postpartum period, according to a September 18 announcement. The new offerings will be available to Ovia members at no additional cost, according to Leslie Saltzman, chief medical officer.

Why postpartum benefits? New mothers are particularly vulnerable to health complications during the period after they give birth, Saltzman told HR Brew. Some two-thirds of pregnancy-related deaths in the US occur during the postpartum period, according to an estimate from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data.

Recognizing how critical healthcare can be during the postpartum period, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists now recommends patients be treated on an ongoing basis, rather than with one single follow-up appointment after they give birth. Still, it can be hard for patients to make it to their postpartum appointments, as most US women don’t receive 12 weeks of paid family leave, Saltzman said.

Keep reading here on HR Brew.—CV