Equitable, accessible fertility care for all is our north star at Carrot. Closing the gap on healthcare disparities, improving access to culturally competent care, and increasing the representation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in healthcare are all essential to provide high-quality care to all.
Today, we’re taking a step to support this by introducing a new feature: the ability for U.S. members to request to be matched with a BIPOC provider at a Carrot in-network facility.
We hope this gives members another option to help them feel even more safe, secure, and empowered in their treatment. We pledge to double down on our commitment to promote health equity and culturally competent care by working towards a future where fertility care is truly accessible to everyone who wants or needs it.
It’s been documented that BIPOC have a starkly different experience when seeking healthcare compared to others. And while progress has been made, racial health disparities are deeply ingrained in the U.S. healthcare system, and there’s a lot more work that needs to be done to ensure BIPOC are getting culturally competent care, defined by the U.S. Office of Minority Health as “care that respects diversity in the patient population and cultural factors that can affect health and health care.”
Representation is a critical part of this. BIPOC are underrepresented in healthcare, despite a growing body of research indicating that, in the U.S., sharing a racial or cultural background with one’s physician can lead to higher patient satisfaction, better adherence to medications, and better outcomes. And while culturally competent care can be delivered by physicians of any background, this feature is designed to support the requests of our members who, for these and other reasons, prefer to work with a BIPOC physician.
Both Carrot members and Carrot Experts have shared the stresses that can come with seeking fertility care as a BIPOC. In a recent webinar on pursuing parenthood in the Black community, Carrot Expert and doula Akilah Shaheed shared that the lack of representation in a fertility clinic setting can make BIPOC patients feel less comfortable requesting resources. Carrot Expert Raquel Hammonds, NMD, MPH, added that representation is critical to making BIPOC patients more comfortable in a clinical setting — something she encounters daily working in a fertility clinic.
At Carrot, we believe that a commitment to diversity and inclusion has to be demonstrated through continual action. Our commitment to health equity and culturally competent care is just one way we are taking action, and we’ll continue to add new ways for our members to select the care that makes them most comfortable. Ultimately, we believe that everyone should receive health care that is respectful, safe, and of the highest quality. We hope this is a step in that direction.
If you’re a Carrot member in the U.S. and would like to speak with our Care Team about finding a provider, log into your Carrot app and connect with your Care Team.
If you’d like to learn more about how Carrot can help your company, get in touch.
