Dupage Policy Journal

The DuPage County chair of Moms for Liberty criticized Advocate Health Care following a DuPage Policy Journal report that the health care group is promoting a variety of surgical and nonsurgical measures as part of the company’s Gender Affirming Program.

"Telling patients they are born into the wrong body is devastating to the physical and mental well being of patients-especially developing children,” Shannon Adcock told the DuPage Policy Journal. “‘Do no harm’ needs to be front and center in any medical center — secular or faith-based."

“Yet, especially for a faith-based hospital, why would they profess a message that God made children wrong?" Adcock said. "How awful.”

Adcock chairs the DuPage County chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national organization with four county chapters in Illinois. The group’s website said its mission is "fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government."

Advocate Health Care, based in Downers Grove, Ill., is the owner of Good Samaritan Hospital, in addition to nine other hospitals and 400 non-hospital locations in the Chicago area.

The organization's About Us page stated that Advocate is “a faith-based nonprofit health system” and has a “holistic philosophy rooted in our fundamental understanding of human beings as created in God's image.” It also identifies itself as “the fifth-largest nonprofit integrated health system in the U.S.”

Advocate's website described the organization’s "Gender-Affirming Program" in more detail.

“Pediatric care experts work with patients and families to identify goals, provide education and resources and create a specific plan of care,” the website said. “Services range from simple observation and guidance to puberty suppression and therapy for children of all ages.”

The site also lists 38 different LGBTQ+ health providers that provide such measures.

“Our clinicians help you start, manage and monitor gender-affirming hormones, based on your goals,” the website said. “Our highly skilled family medicine, internal medicine, pediatric and endocrinology physicians are ready to help you achieve your goals.”

There has been rapid growth in diagnoses of "gender dysphoria" in recent years, with a Reuters analysis finding that approximately 42,000 children and teens in the U.S. received that diagnosis in 2021—nearly triple the amount from 2017.

"Overall, the analysis found that at least 121,882 children ages 6 to 17 were diagnosed with gender dysphoria from 2017 through 2021," Reuters said.

A 2016 review in the Journal of Adolescent Health called children with gender dysphoria "singularly vulnerable" due to high rates of depression, self-harm and even suicide.

The American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders stated that children are not fully capable of understanding what it means to be a man or a woman. It added that most who question their biological sex eventually come to accept it and stop identifying as the opposite one.

Advocate Health was formed when Advocate Aurora Health merged with Atrium Health in 2022.

The company has two CEOs. Eugene Woods, one of the CEOs, was previously president and CEO of Atrium Health. Jim Skogsbergh, the other CEO, previously worked as president and CEO at Advocate Aurora Health.

Allison Wyler has worked as president of Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital since May 2021. She previously worked as vice president of operations, ancillary and support services, Central Chicagoland PSA; for Advocate Aurora Health, according to her LinkedIn profile.