Ms. K.L.
Patient Assistance, AMC

Dear Ms. L.,

Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today regarding my stay at Albany Medical Center this last weekend.

As I stated to you on the phone, I am a transsexual, a non-surgical candidate for Male to Female Sexual Reassignment Surgery due to an extensive Cardiac History that precludes me from taking estrogen. I have however, lived and worked full time as a woman since the summer of 1999. My gender is female, my name is legally female, my biological parts are male. However this has not been an issue with any medical care up to this point.

I entered your Emergency Department on12/09/11 about 1:15 pm with Acute Respiratory Failure. I was treated with the utmost respect and care while in that department. Your computer system was down so I had an extended stay in the ER before being issued a bed for inpatient stay. Around 10:30 pm I was given a room on E3. Upon arrival I was given a name band that clearly stated F for female and put in a room with another woman. The nurse that checked me in (I apologize, I did not get her name) told me that she had checked with the nursing supervisor and was told that if I had not had any surgeries that I would have to stay in a room with a male. I advised her this was unacceptable to me. She apologized and left, returning she said I could have a private room. She then asked if I had any rashes or sores (I assume part of the normal check-in questions). I said no, she asked if she could check, not wanting to be uncooperative, I said sure. She had me lower my pants and only checked around my groin area. I can only assume this is not standard operating procedure and I found it exceedingly embarrassing.

About an hour later the same nurse came in with a new wrist band for me telling me my diet had changed so they needed to change the wrist band. The band was exactly the same except it now clearly stated M for male. I complained and was told that the nurse supervisor said this had to be, and that I could take it up with Patient Assistance on Monday.

I am writing this complaint to better educate your nursing staff. Other than the original nurse, and the Nurse Supervisor that I never met, I was treated with respect by the majority of your staff.

As Transsexualism is a medical issue (you may say it is a psychological issue, however I believe the science is leaning away from that), I would expect a hospital, especially a teaching hospital such as Albany Medical Center, to be a little more sensitive to their patients’ needs. Assuming I would wear a wrist band clearly stating the wrong gender is beyond comprehension to me. If your nursing supervisor had asked a few questions of me, I would have happily explained my situation, which may have given her a better understanding, but as I never even met her during my stay, this did not occur. Listing me as male on all paperwork made each doctor, technician, nurse and orderly entering my room overtly aware that I was not a "normal" woman. I had to correct pronoun usage with almost all; I find this degrading.

On a side note, as an employee of Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, I can almost guarantee a bill submitted for me with the gender listed as male will be denied since I am a female member of Blue Cross/Blue Shield. As a former claims processor, I can tell you I have denied claims like that on numerous occasions.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing your hospital's response.

Sincerely,

Kathryn
Schenectady, NY