Urgent Wellness is committed to diminishing health disparities in vulnerable communities so everyone has the opportunity to lead a more enriched life.
Urgent Wellness launched as a social enterprise in December 2017 to directly address inequalities in health literacy, access, and utilization by redesigning health care. We are committed to diminishing health disparities among vulnerable populations by leveraging a service delivery model focused on increasing care access and health literacy through the use of CommunityHealth Outreach Workers (CHOWs) who facilitate at-home care in low income housing communities. The convenience and holistic support Urgent Wellness provides empowers individuals to overcome barriers preventing them from equitable health outcomes.
Mission
We’re in business to make health equitable for vulnerable communities by making healthcare more accessible, affordable, and holistic.
Vision
Holistic Healthcare at Home
Overview
The modern American healthcare system doesn’t meet the needs of everyone equally, especially members of already vulnerable communities. Without a health ecosystem designed to meet the challenges everyday Americans face, like the difficulty of obtaining reliable transportation or childcare, existing healthcare disparities will continue to grow. As it stands, it’s estimated that 32% of Medicaid clients routinely use the Emergency Room for acute care needs—of which, at least, 37% are completely avoidable. A lack of consistent primary care results in late diagnosis of preventable disease, poor health outcomes, and higher care costs, including an estimated $4.4 billion for unnecessary ER visits and $17 billion for preventable hospitalizations.
Since 2017, Urgent Wellness has worked to redesign healthcare to better work for people where they are at. Instead of a healthcare model that views low health literacy or a lack of affordable transportation as factors that cause poor health outcomes, Urgent Wellness chooses to see them as opportunities to redesign care to directly address health disparities head-on. That’s why we’ve chosen to focus our efforts on making holistic healthcare more accessible and convenient for people.
Our Community Health Outreach Workers (CHOWs) bridge the gap between home and care by working directly to educate and reach out to members of their own community. Our commitment to at-home testing, telemedicine, and even remote medical vending machines, means people can access the full spectrum of healthcare without ever having to leave their own zip code. Finally, our partnerships with Medicaid Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) allows us to take the first steps in building a relationship with the people who need care the most.
In short, we’re committed to disrupting health care as we know it. We believe delivering holistic healthcare at home can and will make health care more accessible, equitable, and cost-effective for everyone—regardless or race, ethnicity, or zip code.