SAN FRANCISCO– Tia, the modern medical home for women, today announced the grand opening of its first Bay Area clinic at Mission & Van Ness in San Francisco. Transforming the historic 1500 Mission building, the flagship Tia Clinic will provide Bay Area women with a first-of-its-kind medical home designed to make every woman feel seen, heard and cared for.
Tia’s “Whole Woman, Whole Life” model includes virtual and in-person services, fusing primary care, mental health, and gynecological care with wellness services like acupuncture and pelvic floor physical therapy in one integrated experience. The new brick-and-mortar clinic represents the first of 10 sites that Tia plans to open in the Bay Area that will serve 40,000 women.
Additionally, united by a shared vision to end fragmentation in women’s healthcare, Tia and UCSF Health plan to develop a new network of clinically integrated clinics together, forming a cornerstone of a Bay Area women’s healthcare network that increases access to high-quality care with an exceptional experience. By connecting Tia’s retail-style clinics with UCSF Health’s specialty and inpatient facilities, the two aim to fill a critical gap in primary care with connected, whole-person care that integrates physical, mental and reproductive health for women and their families.
“Women deserve comprehensive primary care that centers on our experiences — clinically, psychosocially and experientially. Sadly, a ‘one-size-fits-most’ healthcare system leaves 50% of women without a primary care provider — depriving women of essential, preventive care and forcing them instead to bounce from specialist to specialist searching for answers, which drives up costs and worsens outcomes,” said Carolyn Witte, co-founder and CEO of Tia. “Tia wants to change that by working with UCSF to create a women-centered healthcare system that spans outpatient to inpatient with an anchoring on prevention. The UCSF Health team are not only champions and trailblazers of clinically excellent care, but inclusive and equitable healthcare designed to affirm women’s choices. We are honored to collaborate with a health system whose values are uniquely aligned with our own.”
Tia and UCSF Health aim to create a seamless and closely integrated program between the two independent healthcare organizations, which includes:
- Shared clinical leadership between UCSF Health & Tia, with UCSF Health medical directors and high-quality specialists working hand-in-hand with Tia medical directors and providers at all clinical locations;
- Shared clinical protocols and care coordination to ensure consistency between primary and specialty care and seamless baton passes for providers and patients;
- Coordinated measurement of and improvement on critical quality metrics that enable UCSF and Tia to work together to improve patient outcomes and women’s healthcare standards across UCSF and Tia locations;
- Deep technical integration that enables shared clinical notes, medical records, care coordination, and quality data reporting to drive better outcomes and experience for both patients and providers.
“Women nationwide struggle to find primary care that fully integrates their health care needs throughout their lives,” said Amy Murtha, MD, Professor and Chair of the UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences. “UCSF Health is a leader in women’s health and renowned for its integrated specialty care, but we can’t reach every woman in the Bay Area. This collaboration aims to help address that fragmentation by increasing women’s access to primary care services, with seamless access to UCSF’s specialty care when they need it.”
The clinics will provide Tia’s signature “Whole-Woman, Whole Life” care model, rooted in a deep understanding of sex-specific difference, culturally tailored and trauma-informed care. With their shared commitment to diversity, inclusion and health equity, Tia and UCSF Health will work to ensure diverse representation in their patient and provider populations. Tia also will continue to integrate robust training for all clinicians and clinical support staff on racial justice in healthcare and culturally competent care that’s tailored to the lived experience of women of color.
In the Bay Area, more than 40 percent of women have delayed preventive health services during the pandemic, according to a recent survey of 500 women. The study, which was commissioned by Tia, also found that 80 percent of women in the Bay Area say that worry or stress about the pandemic has impacted their mental health.
One of the worst fragmentation points is the transition between primary care and specialty care where breakdowns at critical points in a woman’s care journey can have devastating effects, most notably in maternity care.
Tia, which focuses on prevention and engages women early on, will provide UCSF Health with new outpatient access points that reach more women for its high-quality network of specialty providers and inpatient services, including its award-winning pregnancy, labor and delivery program. The tight clinic integration between the organizations also enables Tia’s Care Coordination team to transition care between the two organizations smoothly.
Tia has grown rapidly over the last year and is on a path to serving 100,000 women nationwide by the end of 2023. UCSF Health is the second major health system collaboration for Tia and follows the company’s expansion in New York, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. Tia also recently closed a $100 million Series B funding round to further expand its footprint in new and existing markets over the next few years.
Tia plans to open its clinically integrated locations with UCSF Health throughout the Bay Area in the coming years.
