PurpLE Clinic Pilot (2015-2019)
PurpLE Health was founded based on Dr. Ravi's pilot work creating the PurpLE Clinic-- a "clinic within a clinic model" piloted within a community health center in New York City from 2015 to 2019. The clinic's design was guided by feedback from community partners and people with lived experience, including sex trafficked women incarcerated on Rikers Island. The program served as a primary medical home for people who had experienced human trafficking and other forms of trauma, including domestic violence and sexual assault.
The program received over 600 referrals and more than 250 people connected with PurpLE Clinic for healthcare during its four years, confirming the need for trauma-informed, longitudinal healthcare services for survivors. Patients included children and adults from the United States and abroad and people of all genders, insurance, housing, and documentation statuses, and a range of acute, chronic, and preventive medical services were provided, including diabetes care, vaccinations, Pap smears, injury management, HIV care, LGBTQ+ care, and routine physicals.
Along the way, the clinic received several national accolades, including recognition from the US Health Resources and Services Administration as a “Promising Practice” in the care of people who have experienced domestic violence and human trafficking and grant funding from the US Department of Justice. The clinic also inspired healthcare advocacy efforts, with Dr. Ravi frequently writing, drawing and speaking about PurpLE Clinic's work to connect with and deliver healthcare for marginalized communities.
As the PurpLE Clinic pilot ended, the lessons learned informed a new step forward in healthcare delivery, with the inception of the PurpLE Health Foundation and its affiliated medical practice, PurpLE Family Health.
Advocates say the health care sector should do more to recognize and help the thousands of people who have been bought and sold in the U.S.
This Exponential Medicine Conference presentation by Dr. Ravi highlights the implementation of survivor-informed healthcare design and delivery.
