BLOOMSBURG, Pa. -- At Geisinger Bloomsburg Pediatrics, the rainbow flag is displayed on mirrors, for instance, a way to tell anyone who visits this a safe space for the LGBTQ community.
"We live in a pretty rural area, you know, if we lived in a city this would be a topic that's discussed more widely," said Dr. Megan Moran-Sands.
Dr. Moran-Sands is a pediatrician who noticed an increase in the number of her patients, mostly teenagers but some as young as 8 years old, dealing with sexual or gender identity.
They and their parents had a lot of questions.
"Whether you're a transgender kid, whether you're exploring whether you're LGBTQ or otherwise, how do we navigate you through that to keep you safe? That's my goal as a pediatrician."
So, she teamed up with pediatric psychologist Dr. Shelley Hosterman to start a support group here. It is always accepting new members.
"This should be a place where you can come and you're honored for whoever you are, and affirmed in your identity. Because we know if kids are not affirmed in their identity, it puts a lot of barriers to them getting appropriate medical care," Dr. Hosterman said.
Dr. Hosterman says giving the young LGBTQ community support can help prevent a lot of the issues that may arise if a teenager doesn't feel accepted. And she points out the medical community should pay attention to the little things that might prevent a kid from asking for help.
"Let's say you're a male adolescent and your doctor says, 'so, do you have a girlfriend?' That question can make them shut down what might be a really important conversation."
Both doctors say their job is not to push a patient or their parent into anything. But they're here to help their young patients grow into the best, healthiest versions of whoever they are.
"Sometimes the issue is, kids don't know the language. They don't know the terms. I met a few kids who said, I always thought I was gay growing up, then I heard the word transgender and found out what that meant and knew, 'oh, that's me!' said Dr. Moran-Sands.
Get more information on Geisinger's LGBTQ resources at their website.