Gender-affirming surgery clinic at Ottawa Hospital is now accepting patients

Launched in September 2023, The Ottawa Hospital is now accepting patients for gender-affirming surgery, adding that the clinic is "here to help."

This is the first facility of its kind in Ontario and the second in Canada to offer facial, top, and bottom procedures for trans and non-binary patients.

The clinic is set to bring transformative changes for trans and non-binary individuals, addressing challenges such as extended wait times and limited access to care in their local communities.

According to The Ottawa Hospital news release, "Plastic Surgeon Dr. Nicholas Cormier has dedicated nearly his entire career to caring for trans and non-binary patients."

"We’re currently accepting patient referrals from physicians,” says Dr. Cormier. "We’re ready to service Ottawa and the surrounding communities."

Before their clinic, people in Ottawa could only get top surgery. For bottom or facial procedures, they had to go to a clinic in Montreal, the only one in Canada that offers all three procedures.

Dr. Cormier states that there's "just a massive gap in our health-care system for the treatment of the transgender population and people seeking gender-affirming care. What’s so groundbreaking about this new clinic is that everyone is coming together to address this shortcoming in our system."

The news release continues:

These partners include different surgical divisions at the hospital—plastic surgery, urology, obstetrics and gynecology—as well as trans health programs out in the community, such as the Centretown Community Health Centre’s Trans Health Program, which provides patients with a referral to our clinic, and CHEO’s Gender Diversity Clinic, which provided Dr. Cormier and his team with advice on setting up the clinic and also refers patients who have reached the age of 18.

These community programs are also important for the overall health and wellbeing of Ottawa’s trans and non-binary population

Dr. Cormier sees the clinic as the result of many years dedicated to caring for the gender-diverse community.

Tabitha Peters

Journalist

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