Officials at Pullman (Wash.) Regional Hospital asked local residents to share their opinion on whether the hospital should provide gender reassignment surgery, according to The Daily Evergreen.
Pullman Regional Chief Clinical Officer Jeannie Eylar, RN, MSN, said officials have received comments from both sides of the debate. She said the hospital regularly appeals to the public to "make informed decisions" about the types of services it should offer.
She told The Daily Evergreen the hospital's board of commissioners issues the final decision on if the hospital should ask for public comment on hospital practices. Ms. Eylar said officials appealed to the public because gender reassignment surgery tends to be a complicated and complex procedure, the report states.
If approved, Pullman Regional would be one of the first public hospitals in Washington state to offer the procedure, Ms. Eylar said.
The hospital has received nearly 100 comments as of 11 a.m. PST Monday. Ms. Eylar said many residents expressed concern about whether taxpayer dollars would be used to fund the procedure. While the hospital does accept taxpayer funding, she said the individual's insurance would fund the surgery, according to the report.