In honor of National Women's History Month coming to a close and National Employee Benefits Day just beginning, it's an opportune moment to reflect on the journey of EZaccessMD and celebrate the leadership of our President and Co-Founder, Lois Irwin, alongside her husband, Will Irwin. Here's a look at how it all started:
As an undergraduate student at Cornell University, Lois had the opportunity to volunteer at a hospital in Liberia and witness the power of mobile medical services. Citizens of this very poor West African country suffered from severe malnutrition and an infant mortality rate of over 50%. Most people lived with a low-grade infection of malaria since medications to prevent this disease were unaffordable.
In the mountainous region of Zorzor, access to medical care was a huge problem. A remarkable doctor, Paul Mertens, introduced innovative ways to improve health outcomes and modernize care delivery. One of his initiatives was to reach remote villages with a mobile clinic that supplemented tribal practices. This approach not only respected the local witch doctors' unique medical practices but also collaborated with them for better healthcare outcomes.
Lois traveled every day in a Volkswagen bus to provide free immunizations and medical care for the people, especially children, who lived in the remote mountainous villages beyond walking distance from the hospital. The goal was to improve the overall health of the children while measuring and decreasing the infant mortality rate. The families were astounded and grateful for the access to these critical services, and Lois could see the positive impact on their lives by removing the barriers to care - distance and cost. They no longer had to walk miles to receive care in a bricks-and-mortar clinic.
Inspired by this experience, Lois founded EZaccessMD years later with the mission to provide working Americans with easy and convenient access to quality healthcare. Just like in Liberia, the goal is to bring care directly to the patient and eliminate barriers such as travel, cost, and recovery time. By shifting care from bricks-and-mortar clinics directly to the patients' homes, EZaccessMD makes healthcare more accessible and affordable for everyone.
"From my time as a young volunteer in Liberia to the present day, my mission remains the same: to make medical care as accessible as possible in order to improve the overall health of patients"
-Lois Irwin
Lois goes on to say, "My time in Liberia showed me the power of removing barriers to care, such as distance and cost. This experience inspired me to start EZaccessMD, and today, we continue to work towards improving health through accessibility. By bringing care directly to the patient and leveraging technology, we can make a positive impact on the lives of individuals and communities."