Hospital board discusses sex surgery

It could be months before a decision is made as to whether publicly funded Pullman Regional Hospital will offer sex reassignment surgeries to patients, according to CEO Scott Adams.

"By the end of the year we would be in a position to provide a recommendation - hopefully sooner," Adams told the hospital board at its regular meeting Wednesday evening.

He said the board does not want to delay or rush a decision.

The board received 2,491 responses between June 7 and July 3, including signatures on petitions, to its request for public comments on the matter, Adams said. Those responses included whether the service would be an appropriate one for a small hospital to offer, what the financial costs would entail, moral and ethical concerns about the service itself and concerns that the hospital would ask for public commentary in the first place.

Of 404 responses received via mail and email, two emails referred to electronic petitions.

One, sponsored by Christ Church in Moscow, received 273 signatures opposing the service. The church's pastor, Doug Wilson, emailed a letter comparing the surgery to forced genital mutilation.

Another petition, sponsored by a Jeff Dodge of Moscow, received 1,814 signatures supporting the service. Jeffrey A. Dodge in Moscow is a University of Idaho law professor and administrator, and downtown business owner.

Evaluation of the responses began a week ago. But with many employees on vacation for the holidays this week, Adams said, additional information is not available for the board yet.

No decision had been expected Wednesday.

Board members mentioned discussions they have had with the public regarding the issue.

One said nobody who had approached her felt the hospital should refuse the service, some saying the decision should be one between a patient and their doctor.

Board secretary Sandra O'Keefe, an oncology nurse in Lewiston, responded to criticisms that the board had asked for public comments in the first place, saying the board's request for comment is more a matter of being transparent. President Tricia Grantham echoed that sentiment, saying the request is consistent with the hospital's history and that the board is trying to be very deliberate in gathering information and resources.

Jeannie Eylar, chief clinical officer, touched on the outcomes of two procedures conducted by Dr. Geoffrey Stiller in June at Pullman under the supervision of physicians as part of Stiller's advanced training.

"Both patients verbalized a whole lot of appreciation and gratefulness that they were able to have the surgeries here and our staff felt very good about being able to learn and be a part of something that was as progressive as they felt like this was," Eylar said, adding Dr. Stiller also expressed his gratefulness.

Grantham reiterated that receiving public comment is a portion of the board's decision-making process and thanked the public for their input before the board moved on with the rest of its agenda.

In Moscow, the private, nonprofit Gritman Medical Center will provide male-to-female, below-the-waist vaginoplasty as long as the hospital obtains permission from its medical malpractice insurance provider, Eric Hollenbeck, a spokesman for the hospital, told The Lewiston Tribune.

Gritman officials have contacted the insurance provider about the possibility, but Hollenbeck told the Tribune it's unclear how long the decision will take.

The hospital is seeking that approval after a board review as it follows the same process in introducing vaginoplasty that it would for any other new service, which does not include soliciting public comments, Hollenbeck told the Tribune.

Taylor Nadauld can be reached at (208) 883-4630, by email to tnadauld@dnews.com and on Twitter @tnadauldarg.