Spotlight on health equity: Gender Diversity Rounds and regional collaboration in gender-affirming care
June 10, 2025.
Across the Frontenac, Lennox & Addington region, health-care providers are coming together to strengthen gender-affirming care and support health equity through a growing regional community of practice known as the Gender Diversity Rounds.
Led by FLA OHT partner Kingston Community Health Centres (KCHC), the Gender Diversity Rounds bring together clinicians, program leads, and health system partners from across Southeastern Ontario. The Rounds offer an informal, supportive space where providers can learn from one another, discuss complex cases, share resources, and build a stronger, more coordinated system of care for trans and gender-diverse community members.
“The Rounds play a key role in fostering collaboration, knowledge sharing, and professional support,” says Josée Conway, Manager of Midtown Kingston Health Home, (part of KCHC) and facilitator of the Rounds from 2022-2025. “They allow providers from many disciplines to ask questions, share expertise, and build confidence in delivering inclusive, gender-affirming care.”
A history rooted in community leadership
The Gender Diversity Rounds trace their roots back to the early days of Kingston’s grassroots Trans Health Connectors group, made up of a small group of committed providers who wanted to improve care for gender-diverse patients. Among them were Dr. Meghan Gallagher (formerly Dr. Meghan Wilson), Nurse Practitioner Heather Geddes, and Dr. Ashley Waddington. The group evolved over time into a more structured community of practice, especially after the launch of KCHC’s Regional Transgender Health Care Clinic in 2019 — the only government-funded, community-based transgender health program in Southeastern Ontario.
“The Rounds began with a few of us meeting informally to coordinate care, share resources, and support each other,” reflects Dr. Meghan Gallagher, one of the original facilitators. “We eventually formalized these gatherings into a quarterly roundtable that has grown into an essential network for providers.”
At the time, Dr. Gallagher was running a weekly Gender Diversity Clinic at Queen’s Family Health Team, where she also taught medical learners. The Rounds emerged as a way to keep community providers connected and informed. “We wanted to create a space for people doing this work to stay connected, share clinical questions, and learn from one another,” says Dr. Gallagher. “The Rounds became an integral link between providers in our community.”
Dr. Gallagher facilitated the Rounds until 2019. Today, she works at the Royal Military College providing care to gender-diverse patients in the military and remains an active participant in the Rounds.
Growth and regional reach
Since transitioning to KCHC leadership in 2019, the Rounds have continued to expand. In the past year, the network has welcomed 13 new members and 9 new organizations, growing to include 26 participants across 15 organizations. What began as a Kingston-focused group now reaches across Southeastern Ontario.
Participants represent a wide range of disciplines — including nurse practitioners, physicians, counsellors, specialists, and health system managers — from hospitals, primary care teams, mental health services, and community agencies. “What started in Kingston is now regional,” says Josée. “The network helps providers stay up to date, ask questions, and connect people to care across the system.”
Building capacity and improving access
As demand for gender-affirming care grows, so do the pressures on the system. KCHC’s Regional Transgender Health Care Program, which the Gender Diversity Rounds are a part of, plays a central role in the region. Despite being a small team—one social worker and one nurse practitioner—the clinic has served 678 unique clients through 4,366 encounters over the past three years, including 336 clients in the most recent fiscal year alone.
“We receive about four new referrals each week,” says Carley Hoja, Social Worker and co-lead of the program. “Over the last year, our waitlist has ranged between 9 to 13 months, with 162 to 210 clients on our waitlist. These numbers reflect the reality that we’re the only clinic in Southeastern Ontario accepting referrals for gender-affirming hormone therapy, surgical referrals, and mental health counselling.”
The Program serves people with and without access to primary care. The pressure on services is growing — but so is the determination to meet the need.
“Our clients regularly tell us that this care is life-saving and essential to their mental and physical well-being,” adds Carley. “We are honoured to provide them with this care and witness their unique journeys.”
The Gender Diversity Rounds help build regional capacity by equipping other providers to support clients in their own settings. This reduces reliance on centralized services and helps people access care faster through shared knowledge and coordinated referrals.
“We’ve seen real-time connections where someone shares a faster referral pathway or updates others on wait times,” adds Josée. “It’s not always visible to the public, but it’s making a real difference behind the scenes.”
The multidisciplinary nature of the Rounds — which include providers from primary care, mental health, endocrinology, and surgery — also helps identify systemic gaps and work toward shared solutions. Recent meetings have touched on everything from best practices and referral pathways to upcoming community events and educational tools. “This kind of collaboration is critical,” Josée emphasizes. “It ensures more consistent, people-centered care — and helps us build trust with a population that often faces barriers to accessing health services.”
Advancing health equity
The Rounds directly support the FLA OHT’s commitment to health equity by addressing systemic barriers faced by trans and gender-diverse individuals. By promoting culturally safe, consistent, and person-centered care, the Rounds help reduce disparities and improve experiences for both patients and providers.
Looking ahead, the vision is to continue growing the network and normalize gender-affirming care as a core part of primary care delivery. “My hope is that this community of practice continues to grow and help normalize gender-affirming care across the region,” underscores Josée. “It’s a space where providers can connect, learn, and support one another — and that benefits the entire community.”
Get involved
If you're a provider in Southeastern Ontario offering or interested in gender-affirming care, you’re invited to join the Gender Diversity Rounds. For more information or to connect with the Regional Transgender Health Care Program, please contact:
Martha Coderre
Manager, Weller Primary Care Clinic
Kingston Community Health Centres
Email: marthac@kchc.ca.