July 2025
ACTION NEEDED: Vacation Reminder, Last Call for Refill Requests!
Dr. Joe and Dr. Dianat will be on vacation August 1-17. Our team will still be here to care for your needs. Here is how you will be affected:
Urgent concerns: Our team will continue to assist you for any urgent clinical needs, with coverage by the wonderful Dr. Marissa Esquivel of Magnolia Grove Direct Primary Care. Please contact us as you normally would.
Medication Refill Requests to In-house pharmacy: A pause between July 22, 2025, and August 17, 2025: Please be aware our in-house pharmacy will be closed to new prescription requests between July 22nd and August 17th. If you need medications from our pharmacy during the closure, please notify us as soon as you are able, BEFORE July 22, so we can ensure it is available and can be prepared for pick-up. Requests after that date will be reviewed on August 18, 2025.
Medication refills to outside pharmacies: ALL REFILL REQUESTS must be submitted by July 28th, in order to be reviewed and prescribed to your preferred pharmacy before our departure. This will ensure that Dr. Joe and Dr. Dianat can help you continue the care you need while they are gone.
Administrative needs: The office will remain open for administrative requests (billing questions, appointment scheduling, etc) during our normal business hours.
ACTION NEEDED: Help us out by confirming appointments
Are you set up to receive appointment reminders? We try our best to see members for urgent needs on the same- or next- business day. To be able to do this, we’d love your help confirming or rescheduling your appointment using our appointment reminder system. When you have an appointment scheduled, you should be getting reminders 7 days before, 1 day before, and 1 hour before. On the appointment reminder, you can confirm or cancel - please do! If you are not getting appointment reminders by text or email, or if you’d like to change your reminders to come by text only, please text the word “START” to the phone number 36331.
Service Highlight:
Self-Collected Cervical Cancer Screening: Have you been putting off your cervical cancer screening? You have more options now! Instead of doing your PAP with a traditional pelvic (speculum) exam, you can now do a vaginal swab yourself. We have the validated self-collection kits from LabCorp available in the office. Please inquire if you are interested. If you don’t have insurance, the self-collected test costs $115 (for reference, the traditional cancer screening swab sent off from a pelvic exam is $75).
Community Highlight:
Bulletin Board: You may have noticed the abundant bulletin board in the waiting room! We invite you to bring information and resources from your own businesses, organizations, and community events to share on the board, so we can highlight what y’all do! Next time you’re in the office, check out our boards for information on community offerings and safety.
June 2025
Welcome to new Dandelion Health members!
After a pause on new members in April, we onboarded members in May and June. It is a pleasure to partner with each of you in becoming and staying healthy. We are booked for new patients through the end of July. New inquiries at this point will be asked to call us back on Aug. 11 to proceed with membership. We will continue to accept newborns throughout this time.
Service Changes between August 1st and August 17th, 2025:
Dr. Joe and Dr. Dianat will be on vacation August 1-17 for a long needed rest. Our team is still here to care for your needs. Here is how you will be affected:
Urgent concerns: Our team will continue to assist you for any urgent clinical needs, with coverage by the wonderful Dr. Marissa Esquivel of Magnolia Grove Direct Primary Care. Please contact us as you normally would.
Pharmacy CLOSURE July 22, 2025 and August 17, 2025: Please be aware our in-house pharmacy will be closed to new prescription requests between July 22nd and August 17th. If you need medications from our pharmacy during the closure, please notify us as soon as you are able so we can ensure it is available and can be prepared for pick-up. Requests after that date will be reviewed on August 18, 2025.
Medication refills to outside pharmacies: ALL REFILL REQUESTS must be submitted by July 21, in order to be reviewed and prescribed to your preferred pharmacy before our departure. This will ensure that Dr. Joe and Dr. Dianat can help you continue the care you need while they are gone.
Administrative needs: The office will remain open for administrative requests (billing questions, appointment scheduling, etc) during our normal business hours.
Reminder: Solidarity Scale Pricing Changes
We have introduced a Solidarity Scale for our membership prices. Prices are no longer based on member age.
Note: Anyone who joined before May 2025 is a Founding Member. For Founding Members, your price will NOT increase.
Current members ages 60+ have had an automatic decrease in membership price to $85/month starting the payment due after June 1, 2025. Some people have chosen to keep paying their current amount to support our Solidarity Scale.
If you are 40 years and older and interested in decreasing your membership cost, please review the Solidarity Scale Self-Assessment to determine if you qualify for the “Solidarity Membership” ($70/month).
All members: If you feel able and willing to pay a higher rate to offset someone else’s membership in the community, please reach out to let us know. You can either choose to update your membership to our new “Full Cost Membership” ($85/month), or you can select the “Redistribution Membership” ($105/month).
Thank you as always for trusting us with your primary care. Please let us know if you have any questions by emailing care@dandelionhealth.com
Public pools are open! Water Safety:
One of our favorite things about Richmond is that the City has 7 outdoor public swimming pools that are free to everyone and open between now and September 3:
Randolph Public Swimming Pool, 1507 Grayland Ave.
Battery Park Pool, 2719 Dupont Circle
Powhatan Pool, Powhatan Community Center at 5051 Northampton St.
Fairmount Pool, 2000 U St.
Blackwell Pool, E. 16th St. & Everett St.
Woodville Pool, 2305 Fairfield Ave.
Hotchkiss Field Pool, 701 E. Brookland Park Blvd.
This is a great way to cool off in the Virginia summer heat. Some offer lanes for lap swimming.
Tragically, drowning is the number 1 cause of death in children ages 1-4.
These are evidence-based tips for keeping children safe near water. If you prefer to listen.
Whether or not you enjoy water activities, we encourage anyone who doesn’t know how to swim to take advantage of the City’s free swim lessons for children and adults–some of these begin June 16!
There are many other opportunities, including the YMCA, VCU, and private aquatic centers for learning to swim. Please consult your doctor if you have any questions or concerns.
Community Partner Spotlight: Access Now
Access Now is a local program that offers free specialty care for those without insurance, who meet financial eligibility criteria. We help with eligibility screening to determine if someone qualifies. We have been collaborating with Access Now and are proud to share that our patients have been able to receive free and reduced cost consultation from specialties like gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, dermatology, and podiatry and services like physical therapy, sleep studies, EMGs, MRIs, CT Scans, and XRays covered. If you or someone you know fears that they are unable to access specialty care, please check out their eligibility requirements and available services. Contact us if you have any questions.
Please consider donating to support their work.
Be safe, enjoy the summer, stay hydrated, and see you around Dandelion Health sometime soon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dianat, Dr. Joe, Natasha, and Mónica
April updates: Pricing Updates
Current members: You have a new title!
If you are currently enrolled at Dandelion Health, we consider you a “Founding Member!” We are rolling out a price change for all NEW members. As a Founding Member, your price will NOT increase. We thank you for trusting us with your care and are honoring your ongoing membership by continuing your current membership rate. In fact, the rate will decrease for some Founding Members. Please read on to learn about why we are changing our pricing and what changes you will see.
Expansion of Services since 2020
Our current prices were determined in March 2020, when Dr. Joe was a solo doctor doing telehealth and home visits (some of you remember those days!). Since then, all of our vendors have increased their prices, AND we are proud to have vastly expanded the services we offer. Within our brick & mortar clinic, we are now 2 physicians, 1 office coordinator who also does blood draws, a registered nurse, and a part-time pharmacy technician. We are providing bilingual English and Spanish care for newborns through elders, offering in-house lab tests, and an in-house pharmacy selling at-cost medications.
For those with low income and no insurance who need specialty medications, we’ve learned to tap into the Drug Manufacturer’s Financial Assistance programs and have accessed over $70,000 of medications for Dandelion Health members!
We want to make sure all current members are aware of the services we offer. See below for a detailed listing. If you have any questions or specific needs outside of this, please inquire!
New pricing for New members
To reflect the clinic’s operations and better meet the needs of the communities that we serve, we are moving from an age-based membership price to ONE flat monthly fee, called the “Full Cost” membership, with discounts available for multiple people on the same method of payment. We’re also introducing a Solidarity Scale, details below.
How are Founding Members affected?
As a Founding Member, your price will NOT increase.
In fact, current members ages 60+ will have an automatic decrease in membership price to $85/month starting the payment due after June 1, 2025.
If you are 40 years and older and interested in decreasing your membership cost, please review the Solidarity Scale Self-Assessment above to determine if you qualify for the “Solidarity Membership.”
All members: If you feel moved to pay a higher rate to offset someone else’s membership in the community, please reach out to let us know. You can either choose to update your membership to our new Full Cost, or you can select the “Redistribution Membership.”
Thank you as always for trusting us with your primary care. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Most Sincerely,
Your team at Dandelion Health
March 2025
Measles outbreak:
We are carefully monitoring the news of Measles circulating around the country. Measles is a highly contagious viral illness that can have serious long-term complications, so it is important to prevent it.
What you need to know:
Symptoms begin 7-14 days after exposure
Symptoms typically start as a high fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes; A few days later, a rash typically starts on the face and spreads down the body.
How to PREVENT getting measles:
The surest way to prevent getting measles is to get Measles Immunity
Are you immune? Check https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/measles/ to see how you can know if you are protected
The current vaccine schedule recommends an MMR vaccine at 12-15 months of age and another dose at age 4.
If you have children in this age group who have not yet received their vaccine, please schedule to get them vaccinated.
If your child is 3 years or older, or younger than 3 and has commercial insurance, you can schedule with Bremo Pharmacy: https://BremoPharmacy.as.me/Dandelion.
If your child is under 3 years old and has Medicaid or does not have insurance, you can schedule with the Health Department: (804) 482-5500.
Infants: If you have a child 6-12 months of age, Virginia Department of Health recommends vaccinating early for measles if you are planning to travel internationally or “to an outbreak setting.” We additionally recommend this early vaccination if you are a part of social communities that are not vaccinated. If your child is a member at Dandelion Health and you would like to pursue early vaccination, please contact us so we can guide you.
If you think you had exposure, or if you think you have symptoms, please isolate and contact us.
We will ask for your symptoms and potential exposure in advance
We will meet you outside for testing, as we have been doing for covid and flu tests
Update your insurance information:
It’s a new year! If you have new insurance, please send us a picture of the front and back of your card (either on Spruce or via email or text message). If you have lost your insurance, please also let us know.
Community Safety Planning:
Immigrants are a vibrant and vital part of our community, and we care about keeping the community safe. We would like to share some information from immigration justice organizations. Please share these as you see fit.
Immigration Attorneys in VA and DC area:
https://www.acluva.org/sites/default/files/1pg_referrals_ir_2024.pdf
Infographics in multiple languages on emergency preparedness and how to respond if ICE stops you or comes to your home or work.
https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/infographics/#0-know-your-rights
Guides in English and Spanish on how to respond if ICE shows up.
https://unitedwedream.org/resources/know-your-rights/
https://unitedwedream.org/resources/conoce-tus-derechos-una-guia-para-inmigrantes/
Community Collaboration Spotlight:
La Casa de la Salud is a local organization of Community Health Workers developed to address the needs of our LatinoAmerican community members. Through their radio station, different programs and workshops, this team provides patient education, advocacy, and skill sharing for effective management of chronic illness. Dandelion Health has referred patients there for support and care navigation, and Dr. Joe has spoken on their radio show in the past! Check out their work and consider making a donation to support them.
Radio Show: 30 minute segment every other week on Radio Poder 1380
December 2024
It’s health insurance season!
Now until Jan 15, 2025, you can enroll in or change your insurance plan on www.healthcare.gov.
If you are insured through your employer, you may have options within their offerings.
Tips:
Certain plans, including “HMO” plans, are very restrictive and make it difficult for us Dandelion Health to place referrals and imaging orders for you. We recommend that you confirm that your plan allows an “out of network clinician” to do referrals. This will allow us to use your insurance benefit in your care.
A guide to health insurance terminology to help you understand your plan: https://www.npr.org/2021/10/15/1046371801/health-insurance-terms-defined-open-enrollment
If it does not make sense for you to pay for health insurance, consider pairing your Dandelion Health membership with a “Health Share” membership (Example: Sedera) so that you have financial backup for any catastrophes.
If you and your doctor have considered medications that are costly and not covered by your plan, explore the “Preferred drug lists” of other plans to see if it makes sense for you to switch.
Fact: About half of Dandelion Health members have insurance and half don’t. Our membership works for everyone!
Warm welcome to Mónica, RN! Our team has grown.
Dandelion Health welcomes a registered nurse to the team!
Mónica is our new RN Case Manager. Her role is to collaborate with patients on their health and care goals, triage concerns, help manage medications and illness, and support navigation of healthcare systems. She has experience as a nurse in different settings, including in-hospital, residential treatment, and home health care. Her practice is based on values of patient autonomy and dignity in care. With her varied experience, she strives to bridge care gaps and support patients throughout their healthcare journey.
Mónica is our new RN Case Manager. Her role is to collaborate with patients on their health and care goals, triage concerns, help manage medications and illness, and support navigation of healthcare systems. She has experience as a nurse in different settings, including in-hospital, residential treatment, and home health care. Her practice is based on values of patient autonomy and dignity in care. With her varied experience, she strives to bridge care gaps and support patients throughout their healthcare journey.
We are now a team of 4: Dr. Joe, Dr. Dianat, Natasha (office coordinator and certified phlebotomist), and Mónica, RN.
Vaccines
We recommend each person get the following if you have not yet:
Seasonal Influenza vaccine booster
Covid-19 vaccine booster
RSV vaccine - Everyone over 75 years old and certain people 60-74 years old with heart, lung, or immune disease are due for a one time dose.
Celebrating small businesses: Come post on our Bulletin Board!
We have mounted a large bulletin board in the waiting room. Bring your business brochures, event flyers, and cards – we want to celebrate and support your businesses or projects!
Community Collaboration Spotlight: Bremo Pharmacy
Dandelion Health has signed an agreement with Bremo Pharmacy that allows you to easily schedule a vaccine appointment there by using this online scheduler: https://BremoPharmacy.as.me/Dandelion
If you have commercial insurance, then most every vaccine is available for infants, children, and adults.
If you have Medicaid and you’re 3 years or older, then you can get most all routine vaccines at Bremo.
If you are uninsured and ages 3-17 years old, then Bremo works with the Vaccine for Children program to provide free routine vaccines.
If you are uninsured and younger than 3 or 18 or older, then we recommend scheduling vaccines with any of the local health departments: https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/richmond-city/immunization-program/
Note: the federal support for free COVID-19 vaccines is no longer active. Please follow our Instagram for updates on opportunities for free community Flu and Covid vaccine events.