about us
How we started
Vitruvio was founded on a simple premise: to get medications for my patients who don’t have access to a health benefit program. Entrepreneurs, part time workers, gig economy workers, people forced into early retirement who are too young for the government insurance plans – how could I help my patients?
I am a Nurse Practitioner in family practice. I also volunteer as the primary care clinician for a mobile clinic serving individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness where I also teach medical residents. I have a small network of healthcare providers who are committed to making care available who have helped my patients over the years. But the need is bigger and their numbers are too few.
I started working on Vitruvio in 2016 and have slowly built it by squirrelling money away from my paycheck each month. I’m not an entrepreneur, just a clinician trying to help the most vulnerable patients in our care.
Vitruvio is the place where we can all help make care accessible for everyone.
I hope you will join us.
Health services that work for everyone
There was a patient, a young man, who was stuck on a vicious cycle. He struggled with his mental health but when he took his medication, he was well. He could work and he WANTED to work, so he did. But the only jobs he could get were ones where there were no benefits and he would have to pay for his medications.
A large portion of his paycheque went to pay for his medication and he had to decide if he paid for his medications or for his food. He never went out partying, didn’t smoke or drink, and didn’t have the latest tech. All he could do with his paycheque was pay his rent and buy his medication. So he was stuck on the welfare system where his medications were covered but he couldn’t work.
It wasn’t until we found a generous pharmacist that would give him his medications for free that he was able to break the cycle and realize his full potential. He was so happy that he told everyone he met to use that pharmacy so that the pharmacist would be rewarded with more business… and THAT is where the concept of Vitruvio came from.
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