To help alleviate historic disparities in women’s healthcare, College of the Redwoods announces the launch of Kiira, a new healthtech platform aiming to revolutionize the way female-identifying college students seek, access and receive medical care on its campus. The platform and services are no-cost to students and with more than 2,123 female students enrolled for the spring 2021 semester, CR is poised to take a leadership position in on-campus women’s health.
CR President Keith Flamer said, “Kiira is going to change the way we reach and care for our female student population. For too long, we’ve seen this particular group avoid or delay critical care because of concerns about privacy, embarrassment, or unhealthy social norms like self-medicating, and internet-sourced diagnoses. With many students still attending school remotely, Kiira is an excellent resource that empowers our female students them to take control of their own health and needs.”
Kiira operates as a virtual women’s clinic, with a subscription model for schools, employers and healthcare systems that want to provide an accessible resource for female-identifying constituents. Through the Kiira app, patients can get in touch with medical professionals ranging from primary care doctors to gynecologists and mental health professionals. Patients have access to same-day virtual appointments, transparent low rates that allow for insurance and cash payments, and HIPPA compliant privacy standards.
“Traditional healthcare systems in the higher education community were not designed with young female students in mind,” said Crystal Evuleocha, Co-Founder of Kiira. “College of the Redwoods is leading the way on this issue by giving students access to 24/7 care and a diverse universe of medical professionals who take into account concerns and the sensitive nature of women’s health. As a former college student myself, I know that I would have really appreciated a resource like this that empowered me to manage my own health care needs.” The tech startup, which was founded by Evuleocha and Dr. Candice Fraser, recently closed a $1M pre-seed round.
Dr. Fraser, co-founder of Kiira and board-certified OB-GYN said, “Doctors appointments are tricky for college-age women. They are transitioning between long-time family doctors or pediatricians and their own adult healthcare, and often they fall between the healthcare cracks. That means they skip preventative care and basic sick care, landing in urgent care when it goes too far. Now, thanks to CR, they have the ability to jump on a telehealth appointment through Kiira and are empowered to seek the medical help or advice they need.”
Kiira was founded following an experience Evuleocha had while in college. Due to lack of access to the right providers, she relied on Dr. Google for answers instead of seeking professional medical advice. This landed her in a surgery that would have otherwise been avoided. Dr. Fraser is a New York City-based gynecologist who recognized a gap in care for female-identifying people, and joined forces with Evuleocha to create a better way of reaching and treating young women with the goal of improving health outcomes.
Eligible students will receive an invitation to join Kiira or can go to www.kiira.io/redwoods to sign up.