The nurse who blew the whistle on Medicaid fraud regarding a Texas hospital's child sex-change program was fired last week by the hospital, The Daily Signal reported Monday.
Texas Children's Hospital denied it used Medicaid to cover cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers for minors, as was alleged by Vanessa Sivadge.
"This past Friday on August 16, TCH fired me effective immediately," Sivadge wrote in a statement posted Monday on X. "This is unlawful for two reasons: It is retaliation for my coming forward with information on TCH's egregious pattern of deception and Medicaid fraud, and this action also illegally disregarded my request to transfer due to my belief that these procedures bring irreversible harm and lifelong regret to children confused about their sex."
The day after Sivadge's allegations against the hospital were published on journalist Christopher Rufo's Substack in June, the hospital allegedly called Sivadge and put her on leave citing "things shared publicly" — which she said she believes was a reference to the allegations — and a religious accommodation request to transfer out of the endocrinology clinic.
"I would like to challenge this in court, but my legal fees are mounting," Sivadge said in the statement. "I am relying on the public who is generously supporting my legal defense through donations to my GiveSendGo."
In a June statement, Texas Children's emphasized that it "never condones any criminal act," The Daily Signal reported.
Sivadge came forward in May 2023 as an anonymous whistleblower in a story published on Rufo's Substack.
Sivadge previously backed the testimony of Dr. Eithan Haim who, according to National Review, exposed a program giving minors puberty blockers and hormone treatment. The revelation caused Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to open an investigation. Even though the state Legislature passed a ban on such procedures for minors, the hospital allegedly continued performing transgender medical interventions secretly.
Haim was indicted in June by the Department of Justice on four counts of violating the patient-privacy provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). He faces total penalties of up to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines. Haim has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Texas Children's Hospital on Monday afternoon did not immediately respond to The Daily Signal's multiple requests for comment about the alleged termination.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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