Launching Humboldt County's TGI (Transgender, Gender Diverse, or Intersex) Gender Affirming Care Program for Youth: Fall 2026

Dear Friends, Allies, and Community Members:

We are the Chrysalis Care Workgroup, a group of clinicians, nurses, mental health providers, parents of trans youth, and community organizers in Humboldt County who have come together to support our TGI (Transgender, Gender Diverse, or Intersex) adolescents to receive the healthcare services they need. We believe healthcare is an intrinsic human right and every young person deserves to feel safe, respected, and supported. Help launch Chrysalis Care and keep gender-affirming healthcare accessible to youth in our rural communities.

Why This Matters Right Now: Federal executive orders and other federal actions have targeted access to gender-affirming healthcare, including efforts to restrict federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care for youth. In response to this shifting federal landscape, Open Door Community Health Centers, the primary local provider of gender-affirming medical care for youth, has stopped initiating gender-affirming medications for patients under age 19 who are not already receiving those medications through Open Door. While existing patients can continue their medication treatment, young people who need to begin care no longer have a local pathway to access these potentially life-saving treatments through Open Door, creating a critical gap in care. California is taking steps to preserve access, including $26 million over three years to strengthen and expand the gender-affirming care provider network and $10 million to support medical and pharmacy services for youth affected by the looming loss of federal reimbursement. These monies will be available starting next Spring. Chrysalis Care is stepping up to help fill this critical local gap, ensuring that young people in our community continue to have a pathway to the gender-affirming care they need. We need your support to get services off the ground NOW, while we await state funding opportunities.

What We’re Building: Launching in Fall 2026, Chrysalis Care will offer gender-affirming healthcare including hormone therapy, puberty blockers, preventive care, and coordinated behavioral health referrals. With Open Arms Center for Reproductive Choices, a nonprofit clinic in Eureka, will serve as our clinical home. Community partners Queer Humboldt and Rhizome Wellness Collective will help connect youth and families with behavioral health resources, youth programming, and support.

How You Can Help: Your donation will support filling essential gaps in care including clinic visits, care coordination, and paying medical providers so youth in our rural counties can continue to receive care closer to home.

Our goal is $25,000. Any amount helps. Here's how your gift translates into care:

$50 funds a lab draw for an uninsured patient

$100 buys our hard working team lunch

$250 pays clinic rent for a month

$500 allows us to purchase 10 gas cards to support patient travel to appointments

$1000 supports staffing and overhead for one clinic day

$3000 covers a full year of gender affirming medical care for one patient

With gratitude,

Chrysalis Care at With Open Arms