Chicago – April 19, 2025
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is investigating a major pediatric hospital, believed to be Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), following the firing of nurse Vanessa Sivadge. She had asked for a religious exemption to avoid giving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones to children.
Sivadge, who blew the whistle in June 2024, claimed she saw troubling practices in the treatment of children with gender dysphoria and described the treatments as having harmful and irreversible effects.
Sivadge testified that she was intimidated by federal agents who visited her home during an investigation into Dr. Eithan Haim, a former TCH trainee accused of violating patient privacy laws. Sivadge’s attorney filed a complaint in April 2025, accusing TCH of starting risky “gender-affirming” treatments for children with little thought. TCH had temporarily paused such treatments in 2022 after Texas’ Attorney General called them potentially abusive, but a state law banning them passed in 2023.
In May 2024, Sivadge requested to return to cardiology, citing her religious beliefs, and was fired in August 2024 for alleged unauthorized access to medical records. TCH maintains the firing was unrelated to her objections. In January 2025, former President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning transgender treatments for minors, and HHS provided new guidelines for whistleblowers.
