Keck Medicine of USC to address Trans-Latin health gap


The partnership will play a role in the expansion of counseling services, education and training opportunities and community engagement for the Gender-Affirming Care Program. (Photo courtesy of Keck Medicine of USC)

When Jimena Sandoval started her transition in Boston, she was able to attend weekly mental therapy and counseling meetings. But upon her move to Los Angeles, she noticed a clear discrepancy in care for transgender community members. Provided only with prescription refills, Sandoval was left to sift through the complicated medical information and the heavy emotions associated with transitioning. Now a peer support and social media specialist at The TransLatin@ Coalition, Sandoval hopes to provide community members the support she lacked.

Keck Medicine of USC will now partner with the coalition, the largest trans-led nonprofit organization in L.A., to “streamline the development of health care services that address the varied needs of the transgender, non-binary and gender-diverse community,”  the school announced in a press release March 31. The collaboration emerges alongside the development of Keck Medicine’s Gender-Affirming Care Program launching in June, which will provide a range of gender-affirming primary care and transition-related services for gender-diverse patients.

The partnership will play a role in the expansion of counseling services, education and training opportunities and community engagement for the Gender-Affirming Care Program. According to Dr. Laura Taylor, medical director of the Keck Medicine Gender-Affirming Care Program, Keck Medicine aims to close the gap in healthcare coverage for the vulnerable trans-Latinx community in Los Angeles.

“By partnering with The TransLatin@ Coalition, we really hope to add the community voice to what we are building to make sure that we are addressing needs in the right way for the local community here,” Taylor said. “We hope to also more directly reach the community.” 

Keck Medicine of USC also plans to hire from the trans-Latinx immigrant community and educate its staff on the needs and experiences of transgender individuals. (Photo courtesy of Keck Medicine of USC)

The TransLatin@ Coalition advocates for the specific needs of the trans-Latinx community in the United States through activism, economic and occupational support and resources for community members.  Sandoval sees the partnership with Keck as a “huge step” for transgender medical care.

“We’re gonna be able to have integrated health services all in one place. It’s so hard for us because it’s not just cosmetic surgeries … these types of surgeries actually save lives,” Sandoval said. “For us, it’s something that’s needed — to have a place with access to most of the treatment, care, surgeries that we need in order to have a better quality of life.”

Taylor understands the urgency of developing healthcare programs for transgender patients, especially considering the unique challenges gender-queer individuals face in the medical world.

“Broadly in the U.S., transgender and gender non-conforming folks face huge disparities when it comes to health care,” Taylor said. “Everything from getting preventative care in a respectful way, getting health insurance, because of so many social barriers that people face like job discrimination and legal issues.”

The necessity for trans-focused healthcare reaches beyond gender-affirming surgeries. According to the Center for American Progress, transgender people suffer from more chronic health conditions and experience higher rates of substances abuse, mental illness and sexual and physical violence, which has only worsened since the coronavirus pandemic began.

“Transitioning is a shocking way of claiming your identity. First of all, everything will be against you — systems like education, work, even finding a job is hard, and you’re limiting yourself to be filling the shoes of what society expects you to be as a transgender individual,” Sandoval said. “It is very important that you’re given the tools to understand not only the internal conflict that you have but also to empower what the future will bring.”

Sandoval said her experience as a transgender woman was made more complicated by the stigmas surrounding queerness in the Latin American community.

“​​You shouldn’t be transitioning by yourself. This is something that is pretty heavy to deal with,” Sandoval said. 

The Gender-Affirming Care Center will provide an extensive network of services centered around transgender health concerns, including gender-affirming surgical care, hormone therapy, mental health care and sexual healthcare.

“This is one step to bring folks to the table and hear their voices and have them at the drawing board,” Taylor said. “We need to serve the community, but systemically and societally, we still have huge strides to make in order for there to be equity for trans folks, same with immigrants, same with folks who face language barriers.”

Keck Medicine also aims to diversify their workforce by hiring from the trans-Latinx immigrant community and educating its medical trainees and staff on the needs and experiences of transgender individuals.

“We hope that kind of knowledge, wisdom and on-the-ground presence provided by The TransLatin@ Coalition will help our patients,” Taylor said. “Ultimately, we’re really excited about building our program, about this partnership and how we will serve the community well in a way that it hasn’t been before.”

The TransLatin@ Coalition urges transgender community members in need of assistance to reach out via phone or to reach out via their website and social media for validation and more information.

A previous version of this article referenced Keck Medicine of USC as the Keck School of Medicine of USC. The previous version also named Dr. Laura Taylor’s title as medical director at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Taylor’s title is the medical director of the Keck Medicine Gender-Affirming Care Program. The Daily Trojan regrets these errors.