Picture this: you’re chatting with your doctor during a routine appointment, and you mention your weekend plans with your partner. Suddenly, your doctor freezes.
He tells you he can no longer proceed with the appointment because he isn’t comfortable touching you. Your provider rushes out of the room, leaving you sitting on the exam table, alone and confused.
For the founder of this week’s ✨ One to Watch Wednesday ✨ #startup, this was a real-life experience. When Justin Ayars, JD came out to his dermatologist as gay, his physician balked and refused to touch him. In that moment, this provider stopped seeing Justin as a human being in need of care.
Justin founded equalityMD so that other people don’t have to go through the same #medicaltrauma he—and countless other LGBTQ+ folks—experienced.
The Problem:
😤 28% of LGBTQ+ Americans have reported that at least one #healthcareprovider they have seen was biased against them or stereotyped them (Rummler and Methani, 2022 — The 19th News).
👩🏻⚕️ 24% of LGBTQ+ people feel their providers blamed them for their health problems—versus 12% of non-LGBTQ+ who feel the same (Rummler and Methani, 2022 — The 19th News).
🙅🏽 35% of LGBTQ+ people and their partners feel that their providers are insensitive towards them because of their identities (Stein, et al., 2023).
Queer folks deserve better.
The Solution:
🏥 equalityMD is building a portfolio of #healthcareproviders with whom LGBTQ+ patients can feel safe and respected. They require all providers on their platform to complete specialized #culturalcompetency training on health issues key to the queer community.
🖥 Their platform leverages #telehealth to improve access to care in places that lack LGBTQ-informed providers. Providers can reach more patients, and patients can get the care they deserve.
💰 Their monthly membership is built to be financially accessible: it’s $79/mo, and it provides access to 12 primary care, 12 mental health, and 12 urgent care visits per year (plus access to 1000+ prescription meds).
📊 As they grow, equalityMD plans to build an AI-powered data analytics platform that will help drive their innovation—and society’s understanding of queer health concerns—forward.
The equalityMD team has surveyed over 32,000 LBGTQ+ people nationwide and interviewed over 350 individuals in person. Through these discussions, they’ve gathered unique insights into the needs of LGBTQ+ patients, positioning the company as the go-to source for data on LGBTQ+ #healthcare.
I look forward to a day when it’s inconceivable that a provider would refuse care to someone based on their #genderidentity or #sexualorientation. Until that day comes, I’m grateful that innovative companies like equalityMD are stepping in to fill the gaps.
The total addressable market for LGBTQ+ healthcare is valued at over $200B, and Justin Ayars, JD and his team are early players in this growing market space.
👀 equalityMD is One to Watch! 👀