HealthyMD, a Black-owned end-to-end telehealth company, has launched a new online sexual health testing and treatment platform for Black, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ communities and those underserved.

Led by CEO Clifford W. Knights II and chief operating officer Steve Vixamar, the service will connect those communities to free and private care clinics to treat sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV, and hepatitis C.

“Steve and I understand the struggles of the people we work with every day because we lived them. Growing up Black in low-income housing, both of our families experienced challenges getting healthcare, whether that was due to insurance issues, getting transportation to an appointment, or worrying about the cost of a visit or medication. HealthyMD is a natural evolution of our life's work in today's increasingly diverse digital-first market,” Knights II said in a statement.

Home test kits for chlamydia, genital herpes, syphilis, and gonorrhea are also included as services.

Knights II and Vixamar have more than 20 years of experience in the health care industry. They ran an independent pharmacy, launched IMG Health Clinic, which operates 23 mobile and physical stores in Florida, and IMG Helps — a Black-owned health non-profit.

Using HealthyMD, individuals who think they may have contracted one of these infections or viruses can schedule a free telehealth appointment.

A free test kit will be shipped discreetly and directly to their homes, according to a statement.

If the test results are positive, additional telehealth appointments will be scheduled, and if needed, HealthyMD will provide preventive or therapeutic medication(s), including PrEP for HIV.

A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that STD rates are rising nationwide and that individuals of colour and members of the LGBTQ+ population are disproportionately affected.

The number of new instances of the hepatitis C virus is also rising, especially among those between the ages of 18 and 29. The virus can, but not always, spread through sexual contact.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 15 per cent of the more than one million people living with HIV are unaware of their condition, and as a result, they could be spreading the virus to their partner(s).

HealthyMD will now turn its attention to developing an app as an extension of its new online and mobile telehealth services in the state.