Children’s Hospital Colorado

Health Systems Children's Hospital Colorado System

Children’s Hospital Colorado

501(c)(3)

13123 East 16th Ave.
Aurora, CO

120

Total Sex Change Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.
13

Total Surgery Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming surgical procedures.
108

Total Hormone and Puberty Blocker Patients

info icon Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.
860

Total Prescriptions Written

info icon Total number of scripts for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones.
$170,040

Total Submitted Charges

info icon Total amount submitted by providers or pharmacies to insurance for services, treatments, or prescriptions, before any reviews or adjustments. Includes medical procedures and prescription charges but may not reflect the final amount after negotiations.

Children’s Hospital Colorado is a nonprofit hospital system headquartered in Aurora, Colorado, and affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The hospital offers puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and mental health services to minors through its gender clinic, the TRUE Center for Gender Diversity. In 2023, the hospital system announced it would cease providing all sex change surgical procedures. Claims data shows the hospital has billed for puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and sex change surgeries for minors in previous years. On average, the hospital prescribes 36 gender-related prescriptions per patient. 

For more information on the specific procedure and diagnostic codes and other methodology used to make these determination, read our white paper here.

Key Findings

Children’s Hospital Colorado is home to the TRUE Center for Gender Diversity.

There is no minimum age listed on the TRUE Center for Gender Diversity webpage, which states that they “treat each patient as the unique individual they are because gender-affirming care does not look the same for everyone.”

In July 2023, Children’s Hospital Colorado said that it would stop “performing chest reconstruction on transgender patients, though it will continue to offer non-surgical gender-affirming care.” It had also previously offered hysterectomies to patients 18 and older.

Children’s Hospital Colorado would continue to provide “nonsurgical gender-affirming care” including hormone therapy, gender counseling and nutrition services.

In February 2024, the ACLU of Colorado filed a lawsuit on behalf of an 18-year-old whose “gender-affirming” surgery was called off at Children’s Hospital Colorado due to the policy change. 

“The American Civil Liberties Union said the hospital stopped providing ‘medically necessary surgeries’ to transgender patients ‘without warning, notice, or plans for ensuring continuity of care.’”

In October 2018, the National Catholic Register wrote an article on Children’s Hospital Colorado titled: “At Children’s Hospital Colorado, a new kind of child abuse.”

In September 2018, Children’s Hospital Colorado tweeted that they were removing gender markers from patient wristbands and prescriptions.

Sex Change Treatments Offered

TRUE Center for Gender Diversity

Children’s Hospital Colorado operates the TRUE Center for Gender Diversity. TRUE stands for “trust, respect, understand, emerge.” There is no minimum age limit for sex change treatments listed on the center’s webpage. 

Sex change treatments offered:
  • Puberty-delaying treatments
  • Hormone therapy
  • Behavioral health services
  • Referrals

The hospital’s webpage says that it provides a “family-centered model of care” and that it is “grounded in scientific research.”

“We provide a family-centered model of care that supports transgender and gender-diverse children and adolescents. This model is a best-practice standard of care grounded in scientific evidence. Research shows that access to supportive healthcare has positive effects on the mental and physical health of transgender and gender-diverse patients and their families.”

 

Definitions

SEX CHANGE PATIENTS: Total unique children who underwent “gender-affirming” surgical procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.

TOTAL SURGERY PATIENTS: Total unique children who underwent “gender-affirming” surgical procedures.

TOTAL HORMONE AND PUBERTY BLOCKERS PATIENTS: Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.

TOTAL PRESCRIPTIONS WRITTEN: Total number of prescriptions written by a provider for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones for children.

TOTAL SUBMITTED CHARGES: This is the initial amount a healthcare provider or pharmacy submits to the insurance company for a specific service, treatment, or prescription before the insurance company reviews and adjusts the payment. This value includes both the pharmacy-submitted cost of prescription drug claims and the line-item charges associated with medical procedures. Please note that this amount does not necessarily reflect the full cost of the procedure or prescription, as it is subject to adjustments and negotiations by the insurance company.

Leadership

Executive Leadership

Name Title Compensation
Jena Hausmann, MHA President & CEO $2,160,753
Lalit Bajaj, MD Chief Quality Officer N/A
David Brumbaugh, MD Chief Medical Officer N/A
Stephen R. Daniels, MD, PhD Pediatrician-in-Chief N/A
Jeff Harrington, MBA EVP Chief Financial Officer $960,887
Raphe Shwartz Chief Strategy Officer $594,969
Ronald J. Sokol, MD Chief Scientific Officer, Child Health N/A

The current leadership/titles are based on the Children’s Hospital Colorado website, but the compensation information is from the Children’s Hospital Colorado 2022 Form 990, filed 11/14/23.

Compensation reflects tax year beginning July 1, 2021, and ending June 30, 2022.

 

Board of Trustees

Name Title Compensation
John “Jack” Wold Chair $0
David Hoover Outgoing Chair/Director $0
David Honeyfield Treasurer $0
Annita Menogan Member $0
Anthony Spikes Member $0
Barth Whitham Member $0
Brian Smith Member $0
Bruce Wagner Member $0
Chris Nyquist Member $0
Craig Ponzio Member $0
Donald Elliman Member $0
Jim Johnson Member $0
John Reilly, MD Member $0
Judith Koff Member $0
Laura Barton Member $0
Leroy Williams Member $0
Martha Middlemist, MD Member $0
Mary Beth Loesch Member $0
Megan Fearnow Member $0
Melissa McDowell Member $0
Michael Gould Member $0
Mike Asher Member $0
Phyllis Wise Member $0
Rick Stoddard Member $0
Rob Joyce Member $0
Scott Morrison Member $0
Shen Nagel, MD Member $0
Victoria Quintana Member $0
Yvonne Camacho Member $0

The current leadership/titles are based on the Children’s Hospital Colorado website, but the compensation information is from the Children’s Hospital Colorado 2022 Form 990, filed 11/14/23.

It is unclear how the Board of Trustees is elected or how long their terms last.

In the News

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates.

The Colorado Sun

Transgender patient whose gender-affirming surgery was canceled is suing Children’s…

06/24/2024

“An 18-year-old transgender patient whose surgery was called off when Children’s Hospital Colorado stopped providing gender-affirming surgeries is suing the…

Read More →
National Catholic Register

At Children’s Hospital Colorado, a New Kind of Child Abuse

10/05/2018

“Children’s Hospital Colorado is not just taking gender off wristbands and prescriptions — they provide services that remake children into…

Read More →