THE OUT FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH NYU LANGONE HEALTH TO FUND GENDER AFFIRMING SURGERIES
THE OUT FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH NYU LANGONE HEALTH TO FUND GENDER AFFIRMING SURGERIES
The OUT Foundation, a recognized 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to providing, supporting and ensuring LGBTQ+ access to health and wellness through fitness, has announced its partnership with The Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Health.
As a non-profit partner of NYU Langone Health, The OUT Foundation will be funding a minimum of six gender affirming surgeries as well as creating a dedicated fund for ancillary services for transgender patients in 2019 and beyond.
The OUT Foundation Executive Director, Will Lanier, speaking to those in attendance at the 9/25/18 event to announce the partnership with NYU Langone Health.
“We are so proud of this partnership,” said Will Lanier, Executive Director of The OUT Foundation. “Our goal with this new partnership is to advance the care of the transgender community and to provide much needed services and support to those in our community in need. By becoming a non-profit partner of NYU Langone Health, The OUT Foundation is able to further support our trans family while advancing our mission of supporting LGBTQ+ health and wellness through fitness.”
In addition to funding surgeries, The OUT Foundation will work with underprivileged patients to navigate New York State Medicaid requirements and develop post-op care including complimentary dedicated fitness classes for newly transitioned patients, support groups, make-up tutorials, career workshops, and more.
“This partnership is an amazing opportunity to help individuals who experience gender dysphoria achieve a body that is aligned with their internal sense of self,” said Rachel Bluebond-Langner, MD, the Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Associate Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone Health. “Many of my patients do better in school and participate in more activities after they have had surgery, which often leads to an overall healthier, more fulfilled lifestyle,” added Dr. Bluebond-Langner.
Dr. Bluebond-Langner, along with a comprehensive team of care providers at NYU Langone, tailor each care plan to meet the individual goals and expectations of each person. They are at the forefront of innovation and research in gender-affirming procedures, conducting studies to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction. NYU Langone’s multidisciplinary team also provides an array of medical services for transgender men, women, and adolescents, including surgery, hormone therapy, reproductive health services, and mental health services.
Dr. Bluebond-Langner and her colleague Urologist Lee C. Zhao, MD, work together using a robotic surgical platform to perform vaginoplasty, metoidioplasty, and phalloplasty. As one of the country’s only transgender surgery programs that performs robotic surgery for these procedures in appropriate surgical candidates, the procedures are performed with a greater degree of safety and precision.
“Using the latest techniques, we provide safe, quality, and equitable care for transgender and non-binary patients,” said Lee C. Zhao, MD, assistant professor, Department of Urology, and co-director, Transgender Reconstructive Surgery Program, NYU Langone Health.
After surgery, patients stay in NYU Langone Health’s state-of-the-art hospital pavilion, the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Pavilion, with all single-bedded patient rooms and views of New York City.
This partnership was marked with an event on Tuesday, September 25, 2018 at lululemon’s Flatiron location HUB seventeen located at 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. In attendance were The OUT Foundation staff, donors, and friends along with NYU Langone Health staff and patients. The event featured a POSITIVE EXPOSURE exhibit by photographer Rick Guidotti. POSITIVE EXPOSURE celebrates the beauty of human diversity, inclusive of ethnicity, religion, age, ability, learning style, gender identity, gender expression and sexual orientation.
To make a donation to the NYU Partnership Fund, please visit https://secure.givelively.org/donate/the-out-foundation/nyu-partnership-fund-2019.
