SF Examiner's Chris Roberts blows a blast of fresh air into an otherwise listless Monday with a great piece regarding sexual reassignment surgery in San Francisco for low income and uninsured patients. See, over the last nine months, fifteen people have reaped the benefits of sexual reassignment paid for by the Department of Public Health, and it's proven to be a great success.

In part, Roberts writes:

A total of 87 people without health insurance have entered the program, according to Barry Zevin, who heads the Transgender Health Project in the health department. About "five to 10" new requests are received each month, he said — and at a negligible cost.

The City provides chest and breast procedures at San Francisco General Hospital, but it has contracted out with a pair of private surgeons to provide genital procedures.

New patients usually receive hormone therapy for a year as well as regular counseling before electing for surgery. It is unclear how may of the 87 people in the program will take the final step of undergoing surgery.

Now that is innovative. Excellent work, San Francisco.

Read the entire article here.