“Fabric Health exists to help busy families in laundromats make that time meaningful.”
Rachael remembers spending plenty of Saturdays during her youth at the local laundromat.
And, like most kids, she can also recall being bored for hours while waiting for her family’s laundry to finish.
It seems only fitting that her career has brought her back to the laundromat. Except now she’s helping others make meaningful use of their time while they wait.
“It's been amazing to watch the growth and the families we've helped,” says Rachael, outreach manager for Fabric Health’s Pittsburgh region. “Just watching how we build trust in the community and (how) people reach out to us when they need help.”
UPMC for You partnered with Fabric Health in March 2023 to bring community-based health support to Pittsburgh-area laundromats. The initiative allows Fabric Health staff members to provide on-site assistance to individuals applying for programs like Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), and other services.
“Our partnership has enabled us to help thousands of families in laundromats in the Pittsburgh area, which is huge,” Rachael says. “We are able to expand and teach them about all the different programs that UPMC offers.”
That includes extending beyond health care coverage and connecting people to other resources, such as UPMC’s Pathways to Work program. It’s all part of UPMC and Fabric Health’s commitment to meeting people where they are in the community.
According to Fabric Health, 32 million Americans spend two hours per week waiting at laundromats. The partnership with UPMC aims to repurpose that downtime by engaging people in person.
“Fabric Health exists to help busy families in laundromats make that time meaningful,” Rachael says. “I think it’s our job to adapt and meet people where they are and help them however we can.”
It’s something Rachael can relate to on both a personal and professional level. Not only has she experienced it firsthand, but she’s also worked extensively in social services since graduating college.
“It really resonated with me because had these services been available in laundromats, it would have been life-changing for my family,” Rachael says. “There are a lot of barriers to care and to getting the benefits that we needed. So, having this would have been really, amazing for us.”
Now, Rachael can help families in similar situations. She recalls assisting a mother whose 9-year-old son had not seen a doctor in years, mostly due to not having medical coverage.
“So, we helped them get Medicaid, and he saw a doctor for the first time in several years,” Rachael says. “And to me, that's huge. He was healthy. Everything was great. But it's just so important for kids to be seen.”
Rachael also remembers helping a man who lost his Medicaid benefits a month before a surgery he had scheduled.
“He needed this surgery, and it was a clerical error; it was paperwork," Rachael says. "So, we helped him get his Medicaid back, and he just thanked us."
Rachael hopes Fabric Health can expand further in the Pittsburgh region and continue to make an impact by helping families. One day, she hopes Fabric Health will be able to reach even more people in laundromats on a national scale.
“I think it's phenomenal if we can be there in some way,” Rachael says. “Even if it's not a physical presence, but someone knows they can get the information, they can reach us.”
At UPMC, Life Changing Medicine means helping busy families where they are in the community to reduce health disparities.
For more information, visit the UPMC Health Plan and Fabric Health websites.
Pittsburgh (KDKA): Fabric Health reinvents the laundromat experience in Pittsburgh communities.
