A healthcare company geared toward women over the age of 65 just secured $26 million in series A funding that will aid in an expansion over the next 18 months.
Herself Health is the first primary care provider to focus solely on women 65 and up. It has been “lovingly designed” to care for the physical, emotional, spiritual, sexual and social needs of these women, many of whom have felt ignored in standard healthcare settings, says the company’s founder, Kristen Helton.
Helton, a former exec with Amazon Care, founded Herself Health following gaps in care she realized during her time with Amazon, particularly within the demographic of women who are beyond their reproductive years. This put her on a trek to reimagine healthcare for this group of women.
To better understand the unique needs of Herself’s demographic, the company conducted interviews with more than 700 women regarding their previous experiences in primary care settings. Those interviews revealed a common theme among participants: women 65 and older do not feel heard by their providers. It also brought to light many distinct issues these women are more likely to face than male patients, including increased risks of osteoporosis and autoimmune diseases, in addition to them having a higher likelihood of misdiagnosis.
“Women 65+ face unique health and social challenges as they age, and for far too long, their concerns, needs, and desires have been ignored,” Helton said in a release. “That’s why we are designing Herself Health to be the value-based solution to improve outcomes and help women find joy, purpose, and better quality of life. Our fundamental goal is to elevate the patient experience and provide meaningful in-person and virtual support that provides women 65+ with a primary care experience designed specifically for them.”
Helton went on to add that in the months following the company’s launch, it became even more obvious while working with patients that this sort of healthcare model was “desperately needed.”
The first Herself Health clinic opened in 2022 in St. Paul, Minnesota. As of today, there is one brick and mortar clinic operating in St. Paul, with two more clinics in the broader Minneapolis-St. Paul region set to open in 2023.
Planning for additional clinics beyond that region is in the works and will be determined based on demand during the next 18 months. Herself Health also offers virtual care services and will place a greater emphasis on expanding those offerings with the company’s recently secured funding.
Learn more about Herself Health here.
In addition to her background in journalism, Hannah also has patient-facing experience in clinical settings, having spent more than 12 years working as a registered rad tech. She joined Innovate Healthcare in 2021 and has since put her unique expertise to use in her editorial role with Health Imaging.