Tennessee hospital faces civil rights investigation over release of transgender health records

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

Tennessee hospital faces civil rights investigation over release of transgender health records

BY KIMBERLEE KRUESI AND JONATHAN MATTISE
Updated 11:16 AM EDT, August 11, 2023

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Vanderbilt University Medical Center is facing a federal civil rights investigation after turning the medical records of transgender patients over to Tennessee’s attorney general, hospital officials have confirmed.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ investigation comes just weeks after two patients sued VUMC for releasing their records to Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti late last year.

“We have been contacted by and are working with the Office of Civil Rights,” spokesperson Josh Howser said in a statement late Thursday. “We have no further comment since this is an ongoing investigation.”

VUMC has come under fire for waiting months before telling patients in June that their medical information was shared late last year, acting only after the existence of the requests emerged as evidence in another court case. The news sparked alarm for many families living in the ruby red state where GOP lawmakers have sought to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youth and limit LGBTQ rights.

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Read more: https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-transgender-vanderbilt-e524f08f8324c46b106cbe3a054724ff