Caitlin Lockerbie (WTSP)
Metro Inclusive Health has a daily mission to provide healthcare options to patients who often feel misunderstood and underrepresented.
The non-profit was established in 1993 to provide inclusive health and wellness services and this year it’s expanding into the Tampa Bay area communities that it serves
That welcoming feeling and atmosphere are what Brian Bailey, Metro’s chief marketing and business development officer, says is key to its success.
“At one point or another we all have to go to a doctor and have a conversation that’s a little uncomfortable, right? Take the fact that you’re a member of that LGBTQ+ community and it’s a whole other level of discomfort. So, it really helps to have someone, like I said, for lack of a better expression, that speaks your language,” Bailey explains.
Metro wrapped up a 2019 study on patient data and found the demand for its inclusive care was expanding well outside its walls in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
“We have everything from primary care to specialty care, prevention to HIV care but we also have now our own pharmacy,” Bailey explains.
He says because of savings as a non-profit, the billing to insurance companies from Metro’s fully insured patients, helps pay forward care for those who are uninsured. Thompson has benefited from both, after leaving a job to return to school and losing his healthcare insurance.
