RWJBarnabas Health now offers the Name Change Clinic, which provides transgender and nonbinary community members legal advice, services, and guidance to legally affirm their names. RWJ partnered with Legal Services of New Jersey and with volunteer support from The Waterfront Project.
The Name Change Clinic is primarily offered virtually, with an option for in-person appointments available upon request. Individuals seeking legal assistance for name affirmation may qualify for free services, depending on income level.
“RWJBarnabas Health is proud to be the only hospital system in New Jersey offering this service on an ongoing basis,” says Patrick Koslecki, director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center, who coordinates the program on behalf of the system. “This life-altering work is meaningful because identification documents are required for all aspects of everyday life, including job or housing applications and accessing health care and public benefits.”
“People who do not have identification documents that match their preferred name and gender identity may avoid participating in these activities of daily life for fear of being outed as transgender and exposed to discrimination,” continues Richard J. Routh, chief attorney of the Legal Assistance to Medical Patients Project, Legal Services of New Jersey.
“We firmly believe everyone has the right to accurate identification. We are delighted to serve patients through the name and gender marker change process,” says Barry Dayton, staff attorney for the Waterfront Project.
“The RWJBarnabas Health Name Change Clinic is another way we are demonstrating our ongoing commitment to providing essential support to the LGBTQ+ community,” said David A. Mebane, executive vice president and general counsel at RWJBarnabas Health.
