Children’s Hospital of Orange County

Health Systems CHOC Children's, Children's Hospital of Orange County

Children’s Hospital of Orange County

501(c)(3)

505 S. Main St.
Orange, CA

58

Total Sex Change Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.
26

Total Surgery Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming surgical procedures.
32

Total Hormone and Puberty Blocker Patients

info icon Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.
176

Total Prescriptions Written

info icon Total number of scripts for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones.
$195,182

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 of Orange County (CHOC) is located in Orange, California and is affiliated with the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine. The hospital operates the Gender, Puberty, And Sex Development Program and advertises cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for minors on its website, though it states it not does not provide sex change surgeries. However, claims data shows the hospital has billed for sex change surgeries for minors as recently as 2023, as well as for hormones and puberty blockers.

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

CHOC’s suite of sex change services, provided by the Gender, Puberty and Sex Development Program and the Adolescent Medicine division, include “counseling support, hormone therapy, and health management.”

CHOC first began offering those services in 2017. A media report at that time stated that the hospital did not perform gender reassignment surgery. They were seeing 45 patients between the ages of 7 to 20.

CHOC Chief of Endocrinology Dr. Mark Daniels has stated that he believes “some children will, at a very early age, as soon as they can talk, will tell you that they’re being told that they’re a girl when they’re a boy or they feel like a boy, or vice versa. They’re actually a boy but everybody is calling them a girl or making them wear dresses.”

In a 2024 video, Dr. Daniels explained how to identify and understand gender dysphoria in children and teens.

Dr. Adrianne Alpern, a pediatric psychologist at CHOC, signed onto a public letter urging public officials not to restrict “gender-affirming care.”

Sex Change treatments Offered

Gender, Puberty And Sex Development Program

CHOC offers sex change treatments through its Gender, Puberty, and Sex Development Program.

CHOC Offers:
  • Counseling support
  • Hormone therapy
  • Health management

CHOC pediatric psychologist Adrianna Alpen works with “transgender youth to improve their social support and navigate their own unique challenges.”

In May 2022, Alpern gave a presentation on “Trends from National LGBTQ+ Youth Surveys on Their Experiences and sources of Resilience”

 

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
Kimberly Cripe President & CEO $1,766,114
Paul Van Dolah EVP/COO $714,066
Jay Gabriel Chief Legal Officer $729,962
Shahab Dadjou SVP/Chief Strategy Officer $946,111
Sandip Godambe, MD SVP, Medical Affairs/CMO $273,547
Jason Culp VP, CHOC Children’s Specialist $161,155

The current leadership/titles are based on the Children’s Hospital of Orange County website, but the compensation information is from the Children’s Hospital of Orange County 2022 Form 990, filed 5/10/23.

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

Board of Trustees

Name Title Compensation
Doug McCombs Chair $0
Jim Morris Vice Chair $0

The current leadership/titles are based on the Children’s Hospital of Orange County website, but the compensation information is from the Children’s Hospital of Orange County 2022 Form 990, filed 5/10/23.

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

In the News

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates.

CHOC

Understanding Gender Dysphoria in Children and Teens

04/15/2024

“The division chief of endocrinology at the Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in California said in a 2017 video…

Read More →
GAMC Statement

Statement Regarding Laws Restricting Gender Affirming Medical Care

03/27/2023

Dr. Adrianne Alpern, pediatric psychologist, signed onto a public letter urging public official not to legislate against "gender affirming care."

Read More →
The Post Millennial

Endocrinologist claims 'trans kids' know their gender identity 'as soon…

02/25/2023

Daniels claims "children can know they are transgender from a very young age."

Read More →
The Orange County Registar

Transgender children now have access to specialized care at 2…

02/22/2017

CHOC first began offering "gender affirming care" in 207.

Read More →