About RAD Remedy
Mission
RAD Remedy's mission is to connect trans, gender non-conforming, intersex, and queer folks to accurate, safe, respectful, and comprehensive care in order to improve individual and community health.
Who We Are
RAD Remedy is collectively operated via two units (each in alphabetical order by first name). We operate virtually via Google Hangouts and our team and board members are from various locations across the country. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 46-5714479).
Team
- Cate Stock, Lead Developer
- Eliot Colin, RAD Director
- Rachel Hennessy, Director of Operations
- Riley Johnson, Executive Director
- Rowan Lowden, Outreach Director
- Sarah Sloane, Chicago Outreach Coordinator
Board of Directors
- Morgan Aycox
- Bre Kidman
- Chef Fresh Roberson, Board Chair
- Hale Thompson
- Lars Mackenzie
- Riley Johnson, Ex officio
History
RAD Remedy got its start during Trans*H4CK Chicago in March 2014. Through the collaborative processes that happen at hackathons, Co-Founders Eliot, Rachel, and Riley honed the initial idea in conversation with other attendees, and presented a wireframe and minimal viable product. The judges awarded the project with the top honors of the hack, resulting in $500 in seed money through Amazon Web Services. The fledgling organization determined that the best way forward would be by engaging in a needs assessment of both individuals and organizations, so they could know the needs and desires of many folks within the TGIQ community and could build a tool that serves folks well.
The organization presented at TransOhio and exhibited at Philly Trans Health Conference, meeting folks, sharing stories, and collecting many survey responses, which provided a clear understanding of what many folks need and how the team could best go forward. Through these experiences, RAD Remedy also gained additional team members Allie, Cate, and Dan.
On January 1, 2015, we seated our first-ever board of directors, with members hailing from many locations across the United States. Shortly thereafter, Andrea Zekis and Chef Fresh Roberson were selected by the board as Co-Chairs. In addition, twenty volunteers dedicated to data maintenance and curation, as well as Rowan, our Outreach Director came onboard.
In June of 2015 we launched the beta release of RAD (Referral Aggregator Database), a comprehensive and nationally-collaborative database currently in development that uses the referral lists of trusted community organizations and the detailed reviews of folks like you so we all get better care. Since then, we've been working on adding more providers and making it easier for you to find the care you need.
In January 2016, we began providing Remedy On Demand, an intensive, judgment-free consulting service for providers' forms, systems, and practices. March 2016 marked RAD's second birthday, and on March 5, we received our 501(c)(3) status!
In August 2017, we released the first-ever national standards for TGIQ health (PDF). Based on the CLAS standards (National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health and Health Care) and adapted for our communities, these will establish community-driven best practices and competencies for providers to meet. In addition, 4,000 resources later, we took RAD out of beta!
Looking Forward
Next, we will assemble a nationwide, independent training database mapping trainings to competencies, creating a learning structure for providers and identifying gaps in existing training. Thereafter, we'll launch "RAD Certified," where providers will supply evidence of continuing education they've taken or taught fulfilling the competencies, and in turn, we will provide a special badge for them on the site and more focused, relevant search results for you.
More distant dreams include the expansion into other countries through collaboration with local organizations and adaptation of the RAD model as needed to better serve systems of health outside the U.S. You can read more about our future plans at the RAD Remedy Projects page.
If you've got other great ideas or want to be a part of the action in some way, write to us at info@radremedy.org. We welcome questions and feedback there too. Thanks for your interest!
