HHS launches investigation into whistleblower firing at Texas Children’s Hospital

The Department of Health and Human Services on Monday said its Office for Civil Rights was investigating the Houston-based pediatric hospital for allegedly firing a nurse for her religious beliefs. The goal of the investigation is to determine if the hospital violated federal laws known as the Church Amendments by firing the nurse, according to the department. Vanessa Sivadge’s firing came after she requested a religious accommodation to avoid administering cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers to children.

Who is Vanessa Sivadge? Sivadge worked as a nurse at the hospital for several years. In June 2024, she publicly came forward and gave whistleblower evidence that the hospital was prescribing cross-sex hormones in direct violation of Texas law. Texas Children’s falsified billing records and diagnoses in order to continue transgender procedures, she said. The hospital fired Sivadge two months later, she told House members during an April 9 hearing entitled “Ending Lawfare Against Whistleblowers Who Protect Children.”

Was Sivadge involved in the previous whistleblower exposé of transgender procedures at Texas Children’s? Sivadge also previously joined Dr. Ethan Haim as an anonymous whistleblower in May 2023, exposing transgender procedures on children that the hospital denied performing. Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed legislation protecting children from such procedures a few weeks later. The FBI questioned Sivadge about Haim’s identity and threatened her job, she said at the House hearing.

What else did Health and Human Services announce? The department also said it was setting up a submission page for whistleblower evidence on unlawful transgender procedures on children.