Wheelhouse Health Navigation: Empowering You to Understand, Afford, and Simplify Your Healthcare
Following her mother’s 2019 brain cancer diagnosis, and after a long battle for care against the US health system, Founder and CEO Emily Bernstein set out to tackle one of our nation’s most prevalent health problems: how to simplify the navigation process of healthcare. After a confluence of milestones, Wheelhouse Health Navigation was born.
As a Rhode Island-based health-centric social service organization, Wheelhouse Health Navigation provides concrete guidance across a wide breadth of key healthcare components. The vision is to connect individuals to the resources they need, so that they are able to be in control of their own healthcare, resulting in a healthier society and more transparent financial landscape for patients. Wheelhouse meets these needs by offering services in case management; patient advocacy; enrollment guidance and benefits eligibility; billing negotiation; insurance denials and appeals; and care planning.
Having earned her Certificate in Patient Advocacy from UCLA and gaining formal board certification in 2022, Bernstein has a deep understanding of the nuances and obstacles that affect patient care, outcomes, and responsibilities in today’s healthcare system; and to that end, there are key populations who experience particular barriers such as newcomers to the US including refugees and immigrants, underserved community members, and more. With Rhode Island receiving over 1,000 refugees each year, the need for such services is dire. To date, Wheelhouse Health Navigation has enrolled dozens in Medicaid, coordinated critical care delivery for newcomers, and eliminated over $740,000 in medical debt.
How NEMIC Became a Pivotal Partner
In 2023, NEMIC launched a brand new program aimed at serving Minority and Women Business Enterprises [MBEs and WBEs] in Rhode Island. Funded by Rhode Island Commerce, NEMIC’s EMPOWER program consists of two key parts: a mini-accelerator & technical assistance program and a lecture & events series. Founder Emily Bernstein applied for and was accepted to the EMPOWER Accelerator, where Wheelhouse Health Navigation and 11 other awardees received funding to grow their businesses further. NEMIC deployed the extensive SME network to connect Wheelhouse with guidance on branding and marketing, as well as business operations and communications support. Wheelhouse was also a participant in NEMIC’s 2024 Spring Showcase pitch event which took place at Venture Cafe Providence. For more information about Wheelhouse Health Navigation or the services they provide, visit their contact page.
