Our Mission

The COVID-19 pandemic and the murder of George Floyd have largely publicized the systemic discrimination and injustices that affect Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color (BIPOC) communities in the United States. Racial disparities permeate the criminal justice system, education system, employment practices, and many more institutions in place meant to serve all Americans equally. We have been heartened by the incredible response of protestors, and the united voices of BIPOC and allies calling for change in this country.

In this vein, we must also address the racial inequalities present within our healthcare system. The pledge of our hospitals to serve all people has not equally supported the Black community. The denial of POC from medical education for many years, implicit bias among physicians, and the massive underrepresentation of African American physicians in medicine (5% of doctors in the US, but 13% of the population) have all contributed to the failure of the medical field to build trust within the Black community. The most recent exemplification of racial health disparities was the disproportionately high COVID-19 infection and mortality rate for African Americans. In addition, Black mothers have a three times higher maternal mortality rate than White mothers, and Black families have higher rates of hypertension and other chronic conditions.

In St. Louis, our history has led to many BIPOC having deep-rooted mistrust of our healthcare system. This includes the shutdown of the Homer G. Philips hospital and decreased access to care for communities of color, especially those north of the Delmar divide and in east St. Louis. Recently, a SLU medical student spoke out about the various stereotypes about African-Americans present in their curriculum– which sadly are reinforced across the medical field in the United States. (https://twitter.com/AbouS_K/status/1268504861697552387)

Since September 2019, Caralyst has been working diligently to facilitate trustworthy relationships between patients and physicians. We believe a doctor’s appointment should be a place where patients are assured of unconditional respect, regard, and understanding. Our product aims to help underserved populations find providers who understand their backgrounds, communication styles, and unique needs. When patients trust and communicate well with their physicians, they will receive higher quality care and have better health outcomes. While our product will not solve the issue of institutional racism, we hope Black patients who use it can find physicians who understand how these issues affect their health. We hope our product can help mend the institutional disparities that have historically affected the Black community.