Melanated Healthcare, Inc.
Based: Louisville
Year founded: 2020
Capital raised to date: $254,000
Key investors: Keyhorse Capital, Humana Inc. (partner), Render Reconstruct Challenge Grant
Founder(s)/top executives: Lecresha Sewell, CEO/founder; Shermiah Holland, chief technology officer, Whitney Graves, chief operating officer. Sewell provides answers below.
Sewell’s hometown: Louisville
Lives: Louisville
Education: Bachelor of Science in nursing, University of Louisville; Masters in nursing, University of Cincinnati; Doctor of nursing practice, Chatham University
Hobbies: Travel
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
Our hybrid care model pilots. The pilots that we are currently implementing will address maternal health disparities.
According to the 2022 March of Dimes Report Card, Kentucky is failing in infant health. We have a 12% preterm birth rate compared to the national average of 10.5% — and Kentucky has an infant mortality rate of 6.2% compared to the national average of 5.4%. Preterm birth rates are 31% higher for Black women than all other races in Kentucky.
We also have more maternal health deserts than the national average. The average commute time is 25.8 minutes to the nearest birthing hospital in our state. Our pilots will not only afford us the opportunity to validate our proof of concept, but we will also create more equitable healthcare with our partners.
What’s the biggest challenge your company is facing in introducing its product/service?
The lack of collaboration from health systems and some payers.
Through our pilots we will contribute data and research to evaluate telehealth interventions to improve maternal and child health. Successful pilots will foster more collaboration and sustainable strategic partnerships.
The biggest challenge we face with introducing our digital health service is inadequate marketing. We are actively exploring different marketing opportunities to inform potential patients about our platform. Our digital health platform offers convenience, promotes increased access to care and provides opportunities to connect with culturally sensitive health professionals.
Why scale your company from Kentucky?
Presently, Melanated Healthcare is a credentialed medical practice only in the state of Kentucky. Melanated Healthcare has to scale from Kentucky because the problems that we are solving exist beyond our state.
Our plan is to scale locally, and then regionally through our digital health platform. The initial proof of concept will be focused on the Louisville region, then expand to other disadvantaged areas in Kentucky.
Digital health and a standardized hybrid care model will ensure we are able to scale beyond Kentucky to achieve our mission of ensuring health equity for all and decreasing health disparities nationwide.
