Telemedicine Journey: CEO Lecresha Sewell’s Melanated Healthcare
Written by: Dawn Anderson
Melanated Healthcare’s digital health platform and credentialed telemedicine practice, headquartered in Louisville, aims to reduce inadequate care by connecting BIPOC and underserved and specialized communities to professional, trustworthy, culturally sensitive, and multidisciplinary healthcare providers with the same racial or cultural background. Award-winning Founder/CEO Lecresha Sewell, DNP, MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC, SANE, says:
“We exist because the healthcare system is so broken and to fill the gaps for patients who are typically left out of receiving optimum care.
We aim to make the unseen feel seen.”
The telemedicine company’s user-friendly app is genuinely a godsend in a state plagued with some comparatively bleak maternal health outcomes.
According to March of Dimes statistical reporting, 45.8% of Kentucky’s 120 counties are defined as maternity care deserts compared to 32.6% in the US. The preterm birth rate in Kentucky is 11.7% among all women but 31% higher among Black women. Kentucky’s infant mortality rate is 6.2%. Melanated Healthcare’s vision is “to ensure that all people have access to exceptional, non-discriminatory healthcare.” The platform’s mission is to address healthcare disparities by providing access to care tailored to patients’ unique cultural backgrounds and needs and creating “a more inclusive and equitable healthcare system where everyone feels seen, heard, and cared for.”
Lecresha Sewell’s personal story inspired her career journey and shaped her business model. Her family moved around a lot, but she eventually came to Kentucky from California. Sewell attended Louisville’s Central High School, where she joined the track team, captained the dance team, and became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) through the nursing magnet program. As she was earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Louisville, Sewell faced an unplanned pregnancy, and the treatment she received was “not an ideal experience.” She then pursued a master’s degree and specialized training in women’s health, followed by a doctorate in nursing practice, to become an advanced practice registered nurse and board-certified women’s health nurse practitioner.
Despite working on the frontlines and seeing 20-30 patients daily, “I wanted to be more impactful,” says Sewell. “Building a company takes a lot of hard work and grit. You have to face the nos and the ups and downs. But I know I am walking in my purpose. I am purpose-driven and have positioned myself as an innovator in healthcare.” Sewell developed Melanated Healthcare in 2020 as a resource for patients and to address the disparities Sewell was seeing day in and day out. Shermiah Holland, MBA, PGMP, PMP, PMI-ACP, A-CSM, contracted with the company in 2022 and was named CTO/Co-Founder in 2024.
To ensure equity and access to healthcare, the company maintains a directory platform of over 150 providers in various specialties and disciplines of general, women’s, and mental health who have passed a rigorous vetting process. Melanated Healthcare telehealth services accept commercial insurance, Medicaid, and Medicare, and the app has surpassed 16,000 downloads. “We continue to seek additional funding and strategic partnerships to elevate care,” says Sewell. Current pilot programs include Humana® and maternal telehealth for pregnant women in collaboration with the UofL School of Nursing.
For more information, visit melanatedhealthcare.app. Follow @melanatedhealthcare on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, and subscribe to Melanated Healthcare Media
on YouTube.
Stay tuned for the December 2024 issue of Today’s Woman with exciting developments in the continued evolution of Melanated Healthcare!
