The Pullman Regional Hospital Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation to offer gender reassignment operations at the hospital during their meeting Wednesday night.

The board encouraged the hospital to provide the surgery after surgeons and other providers have been trained, as well as to offer services to those suffering gender dysphoria.

Washington has 44 public hospitals, according to the Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts. Pullman Regional Hospital would be the first in the state to offer this surgery, once a surgeon is trained, as reported by the Evergreen in June.

The board requested public input this summer on whether the hospital should begin to offer gender reassignment services. There was originally concern from the community over why the hospital was asking for public opinion on medical practices, the Evergreen reported.

However, asking for public input is not a new practice for the board.

“We do it in different ways, but this is not the first time we’ve asked for public input when it comes to things that could cost the hospital money,” said Tricia Grantham, Board of Commissioners president.

The Board also asked for public opinion on the “Death with Dignity Act,” as well as robotic surgery, Grantham said.

Michael Murphy, a commissioner and former general surgeon at Pullman Regional, wanted to make sure that people were aware that gender reassignment surgery was not new in the surgical professional, although the methods have changed.

“The techniques have changed,” Murphy said. “But this is not a new, revolutionary procedure in the world of surgery.”

Chief Financial Officer Steve Febus said the board used aggressive assumptions of cost and burden, and the analysis still showed that the hospital is fully capable of offering the surgery.

Even with the approval of the recommendation, the surgery cannot be offered until a surgeon at Pullman Regional is qualified and trained to do the surgery. Dr. Geoff Stiller, a general surgeon with the Palouse Surgeons organization, showed interest in the surgery, which played a role in pushing the recommendation and asking for public input.

Stiller is currently undergoing the training necessary to carry out the procedure.