PITTSBURGH — UPMC has entered into an agreement with the Department of Justice to end pediatric gender-affirming care.
On Friday, a DOJ spokesperson announced that New York University Langone Hospitals (NYU) and UPMC would end the care after an “investigation into potential violations of federal law arising from their provision of sex-rejecting procedures on children.”
As part of the resolutions, UPMC is paying $950,000.
Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed the hospitals were “targeting” children by offering this care.
“Today’s resolutions send a clear message: hospitals that target children in these practices and then fraudulently obtain payment for the procedures will be held to account,” Blanche said.
The care included puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and some surgical procedures.
Several other large healthcare providers have reached similar agreements, including: Mount Sinai Health System in New York, Texas Children’s Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and Connecticut Children’s Hospital.
In Feb., 2025, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at restricting the option of gender-affirming care for people under the age of 19.
Since then, many have pushed for UPMC to continue offering this care, arguing families should at least have the option available and pointing out the children were never “targeted” or forced to participate in the care. Several protests and rallies were held to stress this point last year.
“Every community is coming under attack. Don’t judge. Stand up and tell UPMC to do the right thing by making sure that they take care of all communities,” former mayor Ed Gainey said at a protest held in April, 2025.
A spokesperson for a trans rights group in Pittsburgh, TransYOUniting, called UPMC’s original decision to stop the care “unacceptable” at a separate rally.
“They are just folks needing healthcare, and you are denying individuals’ healthcare because of their identity,” TransYOUniting founder Dena Stanley said.
At the time of the protests, UPMC expressed fear of prosecution.
“As we continue to monitor executive branch memos, directives and other guidance from the federal government, these actions have made it abundantly clear that our clinicians can no longer provide certain types of gender-affirming care without risk of criminal prosecution,” the spokesperson said.
The Department of Justice subpoenaed UPMC in July, 2025.
Channel 11 has reached out to UPMC for a comment. They responded, saying:
“On September 18, 2026, UPMC reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services that protects patient and family privacy, preserves the confidentiality of sensitive health information, and resolves a matter principally involving certain alleged gender-affirming care billing practices.
“The agreement includes important privacy, confidentiality, and non-prosecution protections for patients, legal guardians, providers, and employees, and expressly includes no admission of wrongdoing, fault, or liability by anyone involved in providing or receiving gender-affirming care to minors at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh or other UPMC-affiliated facilities. UPMC chose to resolve the matter to avoid prolonged litigation, protect patients and families from unnecessary disclosure of sensitive personal and health information, protect employees, and remain focused on patient care and advancing its core mission.”
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