'Gender-Affirming Care' Question Disrupts Highline Board Meeting

All three providers at the Highline High School HealthPoint clinic list "gender-affirming care" among their specialties, though it was not included in the initial board presentation.

A routine vote on school health clinics at the March 4 Highline School Board meeting took a sharp turn when Director Stephanie Tidholm asked whether "gender-affirming care" is provided inside Highline schools.

The question came moments before the board voted 4–0 to approve a HealthPoint license agreement for school-based clinics at Highline, Evergreen, and Tyee high schools. Only the Highline High School clinic is currently operating.

Presentation Focused on Routine Care

Katherine Gudgel, HealthPoint’s Director of Community Programs, said the Highline clinic has served 354 students through about 1,300 visits this school year. She described services including primary care and behavioral health support, noting that students can receive vaccinations and sports physicals during the school day.

Gender-related care was not mentioned during the presentation.

Tidholm Presses for Clarification

Tidholm raised her question based on Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling involving parental rights and student records. Up to that point, the discussion had focused on routine health services available at the school clinic.

The question shifted the tone of the meeting. Board members and district leaders appeared briefly caught off guard as HealthPoint’s presenter paused before responding.

“There’s a lot of conversation in the country right now about health care in schools and parents’ rights,” Tidholm said. “What gender-affirming care do we provide in the HealthPoint clinics at the schools?”

Gudgel said the clinics do not provide medical transition treatments and focus mainly on primary care, though behavioral health staff may speak with students who raise questions about gender identity.

“We have behavioral health consultants who are available to talk to students who are wondering about those sorts of things, which is typical in adolescence,” Gudgel said.

“So no hormone therapy and no surgeries in the HealthPoint clinics on school campuses?” — Director Stephanie Tidholm

Gudgel responded by shaking her head no.

The exchange clarified that "gender-affirming" medical treatments like puberty blockers or surgical sex-change procedures are not provided at the on-campus clinics. However, Gudgel's response did not address gender-related services offered by off-campus clinics.

Providers at the Highline High School Clinic

The clinic currently operating at Highline High School lists three healthcare providers, each listing "gender-affirming care" among their professional specialties:

• Marina Costa, PsyD — behavioral health, gender-affirming care
• Kelsey Walsh, PA-C — adult medicine, gender-affirming care, whole family medicine
• Olivia Dominy, DNP, ARNP, FNP-C — adult medicine, nursing, gender-affirming care, whole family medicine

Those specialties were not discussed during the board presentation.

Off-Site HealthPoint Clinics

While the board agenda item concerned services provided inside school buildings, HealthPoint operates several community clinics across South King County.

According to the HealthPoint website, "gender-affirming care" is offered at community clinics as “an integral part of routine primary care.” These services are provided alongside wellness exams, preventive screenings, and treatment for acute and chronic conditions.

At the SeaTac HealthPoint clinic, located near Tyee High School and Chinook Middle School, 9 of the clinic’s 27 providers list "gender-affirming care" as a specialty.

Here is the full Board Meeting video from March 4, 2026.