I enter every space I am in fully aware that I am a Black woman in America. I know how I need to dress, and how I need to speak, and how I need to walk, in order to be taken seriously or treated with some semblance of respect.
Unfortunately, one of the places that requires such “poise” is a doctor’s office, or any medical space for that matter. Black women have to show up at medical offices, ERs, etc., presenting as buttoned up, or prim and proper, because interactions in this space (whether good or bad) have implications for our health and wellbeing. Our pain is often minimized or dismissed altogether, so our vigilance starts before we even enter the room.
How do we help Black women feel safe in medical spaces? We create new ones. Recently, I had the honor of chatting with the co-founders of Kyndred, a clinic that is for us, by us, preparing to open its (virtual) doors.
Kyndred was founded by Brittany Brathwaite, MSW, MPH; Kimberly Huggins, LCSW, M.ED, MPH; and Tesiah Coleman, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, WHNP-BC, CLC. Here’s everything you need to know:
Kyndred’s founding was one of those occurrences that really make you believe in the principle: ask and you shall receive. Over a decade ago, co-founders Brittany and Kimberly met at Syracuse University, where they brought their passion for making sexual health accessible, relatable and inviting to their peers on campus. Though postgrad initially sent the two in different directions, the same passion they once shared in college led to KIMBRITIVE, a digital health platform revolutionizing sexual wellness and reproductive health for Black women. “We’re filling a gap in people’s healthcare journey, that they didn’t even know they needed. [They] see us as a resource,” said Kimberly.
KIMBRITIVE’s inception and offerings are rooted in education, advocacy and community– all necessary components for advancing sexual and reproductive health for Black women in the United States. However, Kimberly and Brittany wanted to take it a step further. “We didn’t want to wait any longer for someone to save us,” Brittany stated, reflecting on how Kyndred came to be.
The pair told me that as things came together, they begged the universe for someone to join them on the journey with direct experience as a medical professional. The universe gifted them with Tesiah.
Kyndred centers Black women, so race-concordant care is foundational in their approach.
Black women are at a disadvantage in the current healthcare system because we are overlooked and undervalued. Kyndred brings the focus back to us.
“The data doesn’t lie. Our lived experiences as Black women doesn’t lie, said Kimberly as the trio discussed why they created something specifically for the women who look like them. “Black women are more likely to die during childbirth. We are more likely to have our pain dismissed, more likely to be misdiagnosed or have delayed care for things like PMDD, PCOS, endometriosis, and fibroids. We’re underrepresented in clinical research.”
One solution for the struggles Black women face in medical settings is race-concordant care. In a KFF survey Black women reported more positive interactions with providers when more than half of their health care visits were with racially concordant providers. In addition to the positive interactions, “ data shows that patients are going to have better outcomes,” said Tesiah. For Kyndred however, the care doesn’t stop there. They want to create a sanctuary for both patient and provider.
Tesiah continued “We also know, as far as burnout rate goes, that Black providers… are burning out and leaving the field faster than anyone, specifically women. And that’s because of the extra layers of childcare and needing to be providers at home and in the office. And so if we have these two groups that we know are really struggling to bear the weight of racism, because the huge thing that has bubbled up through the surveys around burnout is that providers of color are experiencing burnout from the racism they experience from patients, but also, especially for nursing, they’re experiencing it from their supervisors or from their peers.”
Kyndred’s providers are trained using a collective care platform founded by Tesiah.
Great patient care comes from providers who aren’t pouring from empty cups. Failure to prioritize your wellbeing “creates a lot of the disconnect, providers not listening at all to what patients are saying, rushing through things, trying to check boxes and all of that created by a system that is preferencing money over the actual medical care,” explained Tesiah.
Enter the ALI framework— an essential component of her healthcare provider community, Togather. “The ALI framework stands for antiracism, liberation, and intersectionality, and they are three concepts that I felt were woefully lacking in my medical education, but come up every single day, [and] every single visit in clinical practice. The ALI framework really focuses on centering the humanity of the provider in order to teach them how to provide more equitable, holistic, higher quality care. The framework also includes things like provider breathwork and considering, do you take your time off? Do you shut off your computer at night and are able to relax? All of these things that keep providers in this kind of hypervigilant state that doesn’t allow them to be embodied and to be present when they’re with the patient.”
Kyndred’s revolutionary approach also includes: clear and intentional conversations around fatphobia, being pleasure-based, leading with root-cause care, and a focus on the whole body.
As we talked through the approach Brittany, Kimberly and Tesiah are hoping to take with their clinic, it dawned on me that for most of my adult years, as I shifted from provider to provider I hadn’t actually talked with any of them about weight or pleasure in a way that did not make me feel ashamed after walking out the office.
“People go and get their sexual health checked out, not because they’re interested in getting a pap smear or not because they’re interested in trying on condoms. It’s usually because they’re having sex and they want that sex to be pleasurable,” Brittany noted.
Additionally, I often felt so rushed, like as soon as I scooted myself to the bottom of the table the visit was over. I wondered what my experience would have been like had my providers taken the time to actually care for my needs.
Fortunately for Kyndred members, their providers will have an hour with them, allowing for “a root cause approach.” Rather than “putting a Band-Aid on an issue and [providers will] really take the time to get down to what is causing a particular ailment or illness and even [get to know] who you are, taking a whole body approach. Even if we’re saying that we’re doing sexual protective health, we also know that that’s connected to gut health and that’s connected to brain health and that’s connected to your sleep. It’s not this separate individual part of you.”
Initial services are tailored to menstrual and hormonal health.
Speaking of the root cause approach– Tesiah reported that menstrual and hormonal health are the root causes of many disparities and inequities in reproductive care for Black women.
Members won’t feel alone on their healthcare journeys. Kyndred provides a healthcare homegirl!
Navigating healthcare can be extremely hard, especially as a Black woman. It is never as simple as having a concern, going to the doctor, and walking out with everything being right in the world. There are often things that occur, which make it impossible to forget where you stand in this country.
The founders of Kyndred know just how daunting it can be to move through the healthcare system and are providing support to their members. “Your healthcare home girl is your dedicated patient advocate and care coordinator throughout your entire time with us at Kyndred,” Kimberly explained.
“Outside of your initial visit and your ongoing visits, what we do supplement you with is ongoing learning, because we feel like your appointment is not the only space where you’re supposed to learn about your body and learn how to take care of it. We are creating an educational hub called Sugar, which is really that space where you translate clinical information into relatable, digestible content for Black women that meets them where they are in their reproductive health journey, whether that be a new diagnosis or managing nutrition.
Kyndred is an answered prayer for me, and can be for you
Four years ago I stood in an ER, bleeding after a routine procedure. I stood in the waiting room for over an hour, trying not to make too much noise as I squirmed because I was anxious, unaware of what was happening to me, and fully aware that blood may run down my legs at any moment. I remained cool, calm and collected because that’s the behavior we associate with “guaranteeing” positive interactions. I would keep my composure so I didn’t look like the angry Black woman. Though I wasn’t angry, I was terrified. They eventually called my name, only to place me in a room that no one checked for 30 minutes.
As I sat there, I knew it could be worse but I couldn’t help but think about the stats for maternal mortality and all the other disparities, worrying that they had forgotten about me.
Kyndred is special to me. When I think about the clinic I know members won’t feel forgotten. They will feel at home.
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Interested in starting your healthcare journey with Kyndred? Join their waitlist today!
Are you a provider, healer, or care advocate ready to deliver care that centers Black women unapologetically? Join their interest list today.
