New Orleans-based company raises $15M to improve health outcomes

New Orleans-based company raises $15M to improve health outcomes Lance Traweek, Editor

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New Orleans-based startup Nest Health has raised over $15 million in seed funding to provide in-home and virtual care to families.

According to a news release, Nest Health founder, former Louisiana Secretary of Health Dr. Rebekah Gee, was featured on 60 Minutes to discuss how health care should change to protect Louisiana families.

According to the 2022 Kids Count Data Book, a 50-state compilation of recent household data developed by the Annie E. Casey Foundation analyzing how children and families are faring, Louisiana ranked 49th in child well-being and near the bottom on maternal health and mortality. According to Nest, these are staggering numbers that the startup plans to face head-on and improve with their new home-based primary care model for the New Orleans community.

“Getting health care in the U.S. requires three things that most families don’t have enough of: time off of work, child care support and transportation to visits,” Gee said in a news release. “Nest Health makes health care radically accessible for the entire family by bringing it directly into their home.”

The news release states that Nest is primarily focused on transitions of care—from pregnancy to motherhood, from childhood to adolescence, and during these transitions is when the “proverbial health call ball is dropped, leading to poor outcomes such as low preventative visit rates and maternal and infant mortality.”

Nest Health’s seed round was spearheaded by 8VC, a venture fund focused on health care and technology, and Blue Venture Fund, a venture and growth capital investment collaboration sponsored by the Blue Cross Blue Shield companies.

“The Blue Venture Fund thinks Nest Health will revolutionize how families get care in the U.S.,” Blue Venture Fund’s Mark Bartlett said in a news release. “Nest Health delivers care to families on their terms, in their homes.”

Nest Health simplifies appointments and provides care for multiple family members in the same visit. This means a family with multiple children can complete everyone’s wellness exams simultaneously, instead of having to go to several different locations on various days. Nest Health’s team includes family doctors, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, mental health specialists, dieticians, and social workers to support families’ full health needs, according to the news release. “Caring for a full family at home means doctors can reduce fragmentation, catch developmental delays, and address nutrition and social needs, as well as many other preventable health issues that have long-term impacts,” the news release reads

“Nest Health brings comprehensive care to the families that need it most. In-home support will result in better outcomes, and we’re proud to increase access through entrepreneurship, grounded in clinical excellence,” 8VC partner Sebastian Caliri said in a news release.

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