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We are
Charlotte
Trans Health

Our mission is to increase trans-specialized provider clinical competency and best practice interdisciplinary collaboration among affirming providers in the greater Charlotte area.

The Origin Story

Charlotte Tran Health (CTH) is a passionate collective of providers from several local counties, formed in January of 2012. At the time, Dr. Lisa Griffin, a psychologist who had been caring for gender diverse patients in the Charlotte area for over 15 years, was anticipating moving out of the area and wanted to make sure there would be a robust community to care for these gender diverse individuals.

The group started with 5 hormone prescribing providers, 7 mental health professionals, and a surgeon as founding members committed to collaborating with the intent to discuss best practices in transgender healthcare, transmit/relay new information, and discuss complex cases.

Growing as an Integrative Care Collaborative

At Charlotte Trans Health we value patient access to clear information regarding the training and experience of healthcare providers as a part of informed consent for care. Therefore, we support transparency of information on who we are as a collective and how we define our organization’s policies and standards of care expectations for providers choosing to participate in our integrative care collaborative. For more information visit Membership!

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Advocacy as Healthcare

Because our organization is driven by providers dedicated to providing quality care while facing systemic barriers, we have inevitably been led at times to engage in advocacy centering on improving quality of trans lives and to collaborate and support the advocacy efforts of partner organizations serving the LGBTQIA+ community.

CTH Statement Opposing SB49 and HB43:

Charlotte Trans Health (CTH) is dedicated to improving health outcomes and decreasing disparities in healthcare within the transgender and gender diverse (TGD) community. Therefore, we remain active in our pursuit of the latest evidence-based research and clinical practice guidelines. This involves continuous awareness of, and adherence to, scientific research, evidence-informed healthcare practices, and the ways to best assess, treat, and support transgender and gender diverse individuals of all ages. We are expressing our adamant opposition to the NC bills SB49 and HB43.
 
The restriction of curriculum for K-4 and forced outing of LGBTQ youth to their families places a severe level of risk to LGBTQ youths’ physical health and mental well-being (Clark et al., 2014; Travers, et al., 2012). Further, denying access to gender-affirming medical care for minors, could result in potential loss of life, increased risk for depression and anxiety, and a greater strain on the family system as LGBTQ youth are at a much higher risk of negative physical and mental health outcomes (de Vries et a., 2011; Russell, et al, 2018; Turban et al, 2020). Conversely, research has continuously demonstrated that providing affirming health care to LGBTQ individuals greatly reduces negative health outcomes and reduces the use of emergency and crisis services, many of which are state funded (Bauer, et al., 2015; Grant, et al., 2011; James, et al., 2016; Tordoff, et al., 2022). Given the aforementioned research-informed data, these bills are unethical, misleading, misinformed, and will undoubtedly cause harm to an already vulnerable community. In addition, the restriction of these services will also likely result in a greater burden on the healthcare system. If passed, these bills would also prevent parents of transgender youth from making healthcare decisions for their children based on scientific research.
 
We unanimously oppose these bills in their entirety. As providers who have dedicated our careers to providing specialized care, we not only stay up-to-date on the latest research, but also experience first-hand that access to necessary healthcare resources have life-affirming effects for our patients and clients. These bills are clearly a targeted attack on transgender and gender diverse individuals and an attempt to disempower and punish healthcare professionals and teachers for following the ethical duties of our governing boards and act in opposition to the research. Education and healthcare should be led by those who are educated in their areas of specialty, the ethical standards of their professions, and recipients of the care, not by politicians. We, the members of Charlotte Trans Health, will continue to follow our directive to “Do No Harm” by providing safe, evidence-based, and patient-centered trans-affirming healthcare. Trans healthcare is life-saving care for all. Trans rights are human rights.
 
In Solidarity – Charlotte Trans Health (CTH)

Community Engagement & Recognition

2017 Freedom Center for Social Justice Community Award
“...for our work in building a caring community.”
2020 C.W. Williams Community Health Center Community Service Award
“We consider CTHCG to be a trailblazer, both in the healthcare field and in our community.”
2022 QNotes Organization of the Year
“It’s more than just physical health. It’s also about education and advocacy.”
2022 Carolinas LGBT+ Chamber of Commerce Non-Profit Organization of the Year
“Visibility is key to creating a more inclusive and equitable community.”
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Formalizing as a Non-Profit

As of 2020, the Charlotte Transgender Healthcare Group formally filed and was designated a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our board pledges to support the founding mission to provide a forum for the provision of specialized education and interdisciplinary consultation for LGBTQIA+ affirming healthcare professionals. Further, our mission is to serve as a resource and increase access for the transgender community to identify healthcare professionals who provide culturally competent care and specialized medical services to transgender and gender diverse individuals and their families.

Founding Members

Eli Branscome, PhD, LCMHC-S, LCAS (he)
Rhett Brown, MD (he)
Eric Emerson, MD (he)
Jim Green, MDiv, LCMHC (he)
Lisa Griffin, PhD (she)
Carl Hughes, MD (he)
Laura Levin, MD (she)
Billie Maitland, PhD (she)
Thomas Marlowe, MD (he)
Beverly Moss, LCMHC (she)
Holly Savoy, PhD (she)
Becky Stamler, LCMHC, LCAS (she)
Richard Wynn, MD (he)

Staff

Executive Director – Holly Savoy (She/Her)
Administrative & Community Education Coordinator – Casey Mesaeh (They/Them)

Executive Board

President – Marguerita Blaker, LPA (She/Her)
Vice President – Hayden Nielsen, LCSWA (He/Him)
Past President – Annada Hypes, PhD (She/Her)
Treasurer – Aliya Saulson, LCSW (She/Her)
Secretary – Karen Muehl, PhD (She/Her) 

Committees

Community Engagement Chair – TBD
Development / T.H.E. Night Planning Chair – Dorie Charnin, LCSW (She/Her)
Governance Committee Co-Chairs – Jennifer Ratajczak, LCMHC (She/Her), Katherine Campbell, LCSW, PhD (She/Her), Leia Charnin, PhD (She/Her), and Doug Meardon, MD (He/Him) 
Membership Co-Chairs – Earl Martin, LCSW (He/Him) and Elizabeth Ponds, LCSWA (They/Them)
Trans Provider Committee Chair – Noah Granade, LCSW (He/Him)

Trans Provider Committee Statement of Purpose:

The Trans Provider Committee (TPC) is a cis-free branch of Charlotte Trans Health (CTH) that ensures transgender and gender diverse (TGD) members of CTH have agency in the involvement of leadership. TPC is comprised of active members of the organization. The TPC aims to:

  • Provide mutual peer-support to providers of transgender and gender diverse (TGD) lived experience navigating the intersection of being a TGD provider and serving the community in a professional capacity;
  • Ensure that TGD members of CTH are involved in organizational decision-making processes;
  • Provide feedback to the Board to ensure the needs of TGD individuals are being heard and respected and without repercussion from the Board; and
  • Assist the Board in addressing community feedback and concerns received about CTH members by TGD clients served.