In a bustling SuperSuds laundromat on the edge of Suitland, Maryland, a steady stream of customers loaded clothes into washers and dryers on a recent Sunday morning, passing the time by glancing at their phones or the television. Amid the gentle hum of spinning laundry, Adrienne Jones made her rounds in a bright yellow t-shirt, inquiring about the health needs of the patrons.
“Do you have medical coverage?” Jones asked Brendan Glover, a 25-year-old police officer who was doing his laundry with his young child in tow. Glover, who lost his coverage in 2024 after a job ended, expressed his awareness of the importance of health insurance despite his youth. Jones took note of his information, handed him a gift card for a future visit to the laundromat, and promised to assist him in finding affordable coverage.
This scene is not just a random encounter but part of a new approach taken by some state Medicaid programs and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to reach out to low-income Americans and help them access healthcare. Traditionally, these programs struggled to connect with this demographic, relying on letters, emails, phone calls, and social media posts to spread information.
Fabric Health, a startup based in Washington, D.C., is changing the game by sending community workers to laundromats in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia to assist individuals in obtaining and utilizing medical coverage, including scheduling check-ups or maternity care. These workers, many of whom are bilingual, establish relationships, build trust, and connect people with government assistance while visiting the laundromats.
Connecting Communities Through Laundry Chats
Healthcare plans like CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Maryland, UPMC in Pittsburgh, and Jefferson Health in Philadelphia pay Fabric Health to engage with their members. The Maryland Association of Health Maintenance Organizations, the state’s Medicaid health plan trade group, also funds Fabric Health to help people recertify their Medicaid eligibility after pandemic-related coverage protections expired.
Since 2023, Fabric Health has engaged with over 20,000 individuals in Maryland and Pennsylvania alone, collecting contact information and data on their social and health needs. Allister Chang, the company’s co-founder and COO, emphasized the importance of this personalized approach in reaching underserved communities effectively.
Fabric Health operates as a public benefit corporation, prioritizing social impact over profits, which aligns with its mission of providing a social good. Their innovative strategy has garnered attention from state healthcare exchanges like Pennie in Pennsylvania, which hired Fabric Health to promote coverage options in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. This tailored approach aims to bridge the gap in healthcare awareness among the uninsured population.
Human Touch in Healthcare
For CareFirst, partnering with Fabric Health has facilitated coverage renewal, appointment scheduling, and enrollment in additional benefits like utility assistance and food vouchers for Maryland residents. Sheila Yahyazadeh, CareFirst’s Chief Operating Officer, highlighted the importance of human interaction in healthcare outreach, debunking the myth that technology alone can solve all problems.
During a previous visit to SuperSuds, Jones met Patti Hayes, a 59-year-old Medicaid beneficiary from Hyattsville, Maryland, who had not seen a primary care physician in over a year. Hayes expressed a preference for a Black doctor, and with Jones’ assistance, she was able to find a new physician and schedule an appointment, as well as locate a therapist within her plan’s network.
Personalized interactions like these make a significant impact on individuals like Paola Flores, a 38-year-old mother from Clinton, Maryland, who sought help from Fabric Health to switch Medicaid plans for her autistic child. The ability to communicate in Spanish and set up a pediatrician appointment demonstrated the value of human-centered support in navigating complex healthcare systems.
Ryan Moran, Maryland’s Medicaid director, acknowledged Fabric Health’s role in maintaining Medicaid enrollment during the disbandment process, where all participants had to renew their coverage post-pandemic protections. By focusing on laundromats in areas with high rates of paperwork-related disenrollments, Fabric Health effectively bridged the gap and ensured continued access to vital healthcare services.
As Moran aptly summarized, the power of human interaction in healthcare outreach cannot be understated. By meeting people where they are and eliminating barriers, organizations like Fabric Health are transforming the way individuals engage with healthcare services, one load of laundry at a time.
