Open Door Community Health Centers stops starting hormone therapy and puberty blockers for patients under 19, citing HHS's revised grant-termination terms
In a September 10, 2026 letter, Open Door Community Health Centers CEO Tory Starr said the Humboldt and Del Norte County health center will no longer initiate hormone therapy or prescribe puberty blockers for patients under 19; patients already receiving these treatments continue their care. The letter says HHS revised its Grants Policy Statement so a grant can be terminated "for convenience" if a program no longer aligns with agency priorities, and that losing federal grant funding "would place our Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) status at risk."
It says continuing to start these treatments could jeopardize resources that support care for more than 60,000 patients in the two counties, that care teams are arranging referrals patient by patient, and that Open Door will resume the services if the federal policy is reversed.
Key takeaways
- The letter ties the change to grant terms, not to a payment rule: HHS's Grants Policy Statement lets an award be terminated if it no longer effectuates program goals or agency priorities.
- A separate federal rule, CMS-2451-F, bars federal Medicaid and CHIP payment for these treatments for minors from October 13, 2026 — under 18 in Medicaid and under 19 in separate CHIP, with a six-month hormone-therapy taper for patients already on treatment that day.
- Open Door keeps care for patients already in treatment and says all its other services are unchanged for patients of every age.
Linked evidence
Open Door Community Health Centers — community update from CEO Tory Starr (Sept. 10, 2026)Source packet
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Affected FQHCs
FQHC Talent. (2026, September 10). Open Door Community Health Centers stops starting hormone therapy and puberty blockers for patients under 19, citing HHS's revised grant-termination terms. Linked evidence: Open Door Community Health Centers — community update from CEO Tory Starr (Sept. 10, 2026). Retrieved September 20, 2026, from https://www.fqhctalent.com/intel/open-door-under-19-hormone-therapy-hhs-grants-policy-sept-2026
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