CONCORD, N.C. -- A longtime local pediatrician has announced he is going through gender transition.
Dr. Hal Levin is the medical director at Piedmont Pediatrics in Concord.
In a letter he sent last March, he said he will return to work as a transgender female and go by the name Dr. Laura Levin.
The clinic and Carolinas Healthcare System sent letters to patient families letting them know.
Misty Eagle's daughter 7-year-old Gracie goes to Levin's clinic for checkups.
"It is what it is. It's not going to change his care for his patients, it's just going to change his appearance, so I don't think it's a big issue," Misty said.
Dr. Levin's touched on that in a personal letter to patient families.
This is part of his statement:
"I want to assure you that the only thing changing about me is my appearance. The excellent care your family has received at Piedmont Pediatrics will not change. When I return to the practice in March, I hope you will see that I am the same person at my core that I have always been - a physician who cares deeply about patients, who provides compassionate, excellent care, and who is committed to patients' well-being and health. Being a woman does not define me. It just happens to be part of who I am that will now be visible to everyone else."
This is part of CHS's statement about Dr. Levin:
"We understand and are sympathetic to the concerns and questions of our patients' families and will work with them to answer any questions they or their children may have."
CHS goes on to say it promotes an environment where difference are valued and integrated into their workforce.
As a grandmother, Frankie Robinson says what matters is being a good doctor, not gender or gender transition.
"He's the same person. It's the same person, that's how I feel about it," she said.
