KINGSTON, N.Y. -- Transgender people living in the Mid-Hudson Valley have traveled long distances for medical support related to their transition, but by launching a transgender service program Monday at its Kingston and Poughkeepsie centers, Planned Parenthood is looking to offer some of those medical services closer to home.
Angelina Vail-Bouros, Mid-Hudson Valley Transgender Association chairwoman, said she has to go to New York City for her treatment and it gets expensive.
"Driving between the gas and the tolls, you've got to take a day off of work, so it can incur quite a bit of money so having local services in the area, takes a lot of the impact away from the person, takes a lot of that stress away," Vail-Bouros said.
“Patients can come to us and we can assess them and start them on hormones without them needing to meet any requirements for therapy before they come to us,” said Yonah EtShalom, nurse practitioner and transgender health services program director.
The centers will also provide self-injection training.
“For folks who are learning about injection, they can learn to self inject or have a loved one inject their medication for them, rather than come to us every one to two weeks for injections,” said EtShalom.
Planned Parenthood representatives said the plan is to expand to the other Mid-Hudson Valley locations, including Newburgh, Monticello and Goshen. It’s something that Vail-Bouros said is needed.
“I think that’s a major step in the right direction and a major win for transgender people,” she said. “I know personally a lot of people that do live up here and are on hormone therapy but they have to do a lot of traveling to find the services that they need and require,” she said.