Warrior Centric Health CEO Ronald Steptoe wants hospitals to start asking one simple question to improve the care they give to veterans across the country.
Have you ever served in the military?
"I can't even tell you the number of veterans that have said, 'I have never been asked 'have I served before?' by the commercial health care sector,'" Steptoe, an Army veteran, said.
Most health care providers are not trained on how environmental exposures during combat or deployment can impact veterans, Steptoe said. Many hospitals don’t even ask if a patient is a veteran, so they are unable to identify the warning signs of exposure to certain chemicals that can lead to respiratory diseases and cancer. Veterans also disproportionately suffer from mental health issues, like post-traumatic stress disorder, because of their time in the military.
"There is not a health condition you can name that veterans are not disproportionately impacted by," Steptoe said.
To help address the information gap, Ellicott City-based Warrior Centric Health is raising a $5 million series A round to further its work creating online learning modules that teach health care providers about the medical conditions veterans face. The company's online platform provides hospitals with information about the veteran community in their area, as well as feedback like veteran patient volume and readmissions to track a hospital's progress over time.
The company has already received $1 million in venture funding from the Maryland Technology Development Corp. toward the round. The Stony Lonesome Group and 550 Capital Partners have also committed the round. Warrior Centric Health previously raised a $2 million seed round in 2020, with support from TEDCO and the Stony Lonesome Group.
The company plans to use the new funding to market its product to more hospitals and create new educational content. Steptoe also plans to almost double his seven-person staff.
One current project of Warrior Centric Health is the creation of a guide to help health care institutions navigate conditions stemming from burn pits veterans used in the Middle East to incinerate trash. The federal PACT Act, passed in 2022, provides more funding to treat conditions caused by exposure to burn pits, making it more important for hospitals to be aware of the effects the chemicals could have on veterans.
“I'm not sure how much we can really do to address the health disparity component because of the exposures that are inherent with the job,” Steptoe, said. “Where we can make a difference, though, is in the health care disparity component.”
Many veterans have worked in hazardous environments that exposed them to a variety of toxins and lead to medical issues. Every generation of veterans has faced unique chemical hazards, Steptoe said, from Agent Orange exposure in the Vietnam War to the impact of oil fires during the first Gulf War.
“The military is exempt from OSHA (The Occupational Safety and Health Administration) requirements during training and deployment. We have to train like we fight,” Steptoe said. “If we were any other corporation in America, they would shut us down tomorrow."
Steptoe previously worked with Pfizer on a project focused on health disparities in the 1990s and early 2000s. While researching health disparities for other groups, he realized how veterans have disproportionate rates of cancer and mental health issues. But the Walter Reed Medical Center scandal was the spark that ignited the creation of Warrior Centric Health.
Steptoe founded the company in 2008 with co-founder Evelyn Lewis after learning about the scandal. The Washington DC military hospital came under fire in 2007 for poor service, leading to congressional hearings focused on the facility. A study by the Rand Corp. found there needed to be a training program to improve the cultural and clinical skills of clinicians working with the U.S. military.
Warrior Centric Health's first contract in 2010 was with Walter Reed.
"The nation assumed that the 'VA has this covered,'" Steptoe said. "That's not how any of this works. We literally have been lost in this whole process. Now because of the focus on health equity, health disparities and population health, it's time for Warrior Centric Health to shine the light on our community and say, 'as we make these changes in health care for various populations, do not forget us.'"
