We’ve always believed that comprehensive and inclusive support is essential to helping working families thrive. There’s no single solution to ease the many unique burdens that families face. But even a holistic approach—one which examines wellness from every possible angle—can only be effective with proactive and built-in measures to ensure working parents and their children are supported no matter their race, age, gender identity, sexuality, or ability.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has always been at the heart of our mission. We help all members advocate for themselves in a clinical setting and equip them with the unique resources and tools required to improve their health outcomes. The pandemic and backdrop of social injustices of the past 12 months brought to light many of the structural inequalities that continue to plague our education, government, and healthcare systems, making this mission all the more urgent and important.
We’re deepening our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion by introducing a bundle of new product features and continued initiatives to better support all working families.
Historically, healthcare has had a very broken relationship with BIPOC and other minoritized groups, who the medical community has a legacy of not only dismissing, but actively harming. Cleo strives to close this gap of care and repair the broken trust of healthcare in these communities by making resources more available and our experience as inclusive as possible, no matter one’s background or identity.
Dr. Chitra Akileswaran, Cleo Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer
Cleo is committed to curbing disparate health outcomes for our Black members and their children. The numbers don’t lie. Black birthing people are three to four times more likely to die from causes related to childbirth; what’s more, Black infant mortality is more than double that of white infants. Here’s how we’re helping:
Effective holistic and comprehensive care is impossible without support for mental and emotional wellbeing, and it’s especially critical as we navigate the many stresses that come with a global crisis. Working parents in the US are losing a cumulative 720 million hours each week to stress/anxiety and caregiving, with women losing 49% more time than men. To aid our members through this stressful time, we launched our perinatal mental health program, beginning with an in-app survey for members (birth parents and their partners) to evaluate their risks for depression and anxiety during pregnancy and after birth. Based on their results, Cleo Guides follow up with helpful advice, schedule regular emotional wellness checks, and/or connect them to an in-network or covered mental health specialist.
Speaking with our Guide gives me a much-needed boost in both mood and energy. She helped me realize we are not alone…I always feel like the best parent I can be after talking with Taylor.
Keely, Cleo Baby member
“Speaking with our Guide gives me a much-needed boost in both mood and energy. She helped me realize we are not alone,” Keely, a Cleo Baby member noted. “Taylor [Cleo Guide] outlined everything we could try and emphasized there is no right or wrong choice for your family, only the best choice that works for you. I always feel like the best parent I can be after talking with Taylor.”
Inclusivity is integral to everything Cleo does. Everyone deserves to feel a sense of belonging when accessing care. These features are a few of the latest initiatives we’ve rolled out aimed at this commitment:
The events of the last year have unleashed waves of change in our world and made issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion impossible to ignore. Fortunately, many companies are now taking the steps necessary to address the inequalities still present in our systems. At Cleo, our focus will continue to be on creating a care management system that supports equitable health outcomes for families of all types, at every stage.