Children’s Minnesota

Health Systems Children's Minnesota

Children’s Minnesota

501(c)(3)

2530 Chicago Ave. South
Minneapolis, MN

54

Total Sex Change Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming procedures or hormone/puberty blocker therapy.
0

Total Surgery Patients

info icon Total unique children who underwent gender-affirming surgical procedures.
54

Total Hormone and Puberty Blocker Patients

info icon Total unique children who were prescribed puberty blockers or received gender-affirming hormone therapy.
235

Total Prescriptions Written

info icon Total number of scripts for puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones.
$2,863

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 Minnesota is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit healthcare network. The hospital operates its Gender Health Program and provides hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and menstrual suppression for children. On average, the hospital prescribed 14 gender-related prescriptions per patient. The program’s medical director, Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd, is a transgender activist who has publicly supported legislation to ensure minors can access gender medical interventions. Claims data shows the hospital has billed extensively for hormone therapy.

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

Per the hospital’s website, “Children’s Minnesota Gender Health Program is an exclusively pediatric, multidisciplinary gender health program, and includes pediatric gender health, endocrinology and gynecology physicians.”

The program launched in April 2019 with help from Dr. Angela Kade Goepferd and Dr. Christopher Dunne, a pediatric endocrinologist at Children’s Minnesota.

You can come in with a four-year-old who wants to wear a dress and talk through conversations about gender. We don’t have an agenda,” Goepferd has said.

Goepferd also stated, “Unfortunately, far too many transgender and gender diverse kids, across the country and here in Minnesota, aren’t getting the support they need to live their best lives as their authentic selves.”

Dr. Emily Chapman, Chief Medical Officer, on the push for the creation of the Gender Health Program by Dr. Goepferd: “this is already happening. We already have all of these patients in our system, and they’re having a lousy experience, and we’re underserving them.”

In October 2020, Children’s Minnesota hosted a podcast as part of their “Talking Pediatrics” series that discussed “the importance of providing affirming care to LGBTQ youth, including the importance of pronouns for transgender and gender diverse kids and equity actions we can all take to help end health disparities for LGBTQ kids and families.”

In a February 2023 blog post, Gender Health Program founder Dr. Goepferd advocated for two Minnesota house bills: HF16/SF23, which prohibits so-called “conversion therapy” for children and vulnerable adults, and HF146/SF63, which protects access to “gender-affirming care” in Minnesota.

Children’s Minnesota also publishes a series titled, “Progressive Pediatrics,” written by Dr. Gorelick, Chief Executive Officer at Children’s Minnesota.

In May 2023, Fox News published a story reporting that Dr. Goepferd believes “treating asthma and diabetes is no different from offering sex changes for kids.

Dr. Goepferd has stated “[T]here are plenty of possibilities of gender. There’s not just a he and a she, there’s a they, there’s other options. This is something that kids are growing up with now that will fundamentally change the way that we’re talking about this. And I think it’s changing it now.”

After the death of nonbinary teen Nex Benedict, CEO of Children’s Minnesota, Dr. Marc Gorelick, stated that “transgender and gender diverse youth need and deserve a community of supportive adults who will do what’s right to keep them safe.”

Sex Change Treatments Offered

Gender Health Program

“Children’s Minnesota Gender Health Program is an exclusively pediatric, multidisciplinary gender health program, and includes pediatric gender health, endocrinology and gynecology physicians.” The program provides “compassionate and comprehensive care for transgender and gender-diverse youth.”

Children’s Minnesota does not perform sex-reassignment surgeries.

Sex change treatments at the Gender Health Program include:
  • Gender consultation with patient and family
  • Mental health assessment and referrals
  • Treatment and monitoring, including:
    • Puberty blockers
    • Cross-sex hormones
    • Menstrual suppression
    • Fertility preservation consultation
There are several steps outlined for what to expect at the Gender Health Program

Step 1: Basic intake information, resources, and referrals

Step 2: The initial gender health mental health appointment and offers patients over age 10 “an opportunity to meet individually with the provider.”

Step 3: The initial gender health medical appointment

Step 4: The continuation of “care” with the gender health team including puberty blockers and hormones.

Step 5: Begin sex change treatments

Step 6: Ongoing follow up and support

 

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
Marc Gorelick, MD President & CEO $1,935,831
Angela Goepferd, MD Chief Education Officer $499,993
Jennifer Olson Market SVP & Chief Operations Officer $1,068,566
Brenda McCormick SVP & Chief Financial Officer $962,479
Emily Chapman, MD SVP Medical Affairs & Chief Medical Officer $887,235
Caroline Njau, MBA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC SVP Patient Care Svcs & Chief Nursing Officer $526,144
James Burroughs SVP Govt & Comm Relations/Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer $407,775
David Lundal SVP & Chief Information Officer $614,679
Andrew Pugh SVP & Chief Legal Officer $506,040
Laurin Cathey SVP & Chief Human Resources Officer N/A
Jennifer Soderholm SVP & Chief Development Officer N/A

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

Compensation reflects the tax year beginning January 1, 2022, and ending December 31, 2022.

Board of Trustees

Name Title Compensation
JJ Kuhn Chair N/A
Archelle Georgiou Vice Chair N/A
Jeff von Gillern Treasurer N/A
Brooke Moore, MD, MPH Chief of Staff N/A
William Mize, MD, FACR Vice Chief of Staff N/A

The current leadership/titles are based on the Children’s Minnesota board of directors website, but the compensation information is from Children’s Health Care 2022 Form 990, filed 11/14/23.

Compensation reflects the tax year beginning January 1, 2022, and ending December 31, 2022.

In the News

Stay up to date with the latest news and updates.

Fox News

Children's hospital director says 'revolutionary' sex change clinic for kids…

05/10/2023

.” “The director of the gender program at Children's Minnesota claimed that treating asthma and diabetes is no different from…

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Children's Minnesota

Be the one: A call to action from Dr. Kade…

04/12/2024

After the death of nonbinary teen Nex Benedict, CEO of Children’s Minnesota, Dr. Marc Gorelick, stated that “transgender and gender…

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Children's Minnesota

Testifying for transgender and gender diverse youth

02/28/2023

Dr. Goepferd testifed for two Minnesota house bills: HF16/SF23, which prohibits conversion therapy for children and vulnerable adults, and HF146/SF63,…

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Mpls St. Paul Magazine

Transphobia Is Hazardous to Your Health

08/27/2019

Dr. Emily Chapman, Chief Medical Officer, on the push for the creation of the Gender Health Program by Dr. Goepferd:…

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