Startups

QSpaces is now live. Here’s how the platform wants to help the LGBTQ community

Users can anonymously rate 7,500 physicians across Pennsylvania on LGBTQ friendliness.

QSpaces cofounders Catherine Hofmann (left) and Nic Anthony. (GIF via Vimeo)

Remember QSpaces, the app that helps folks find, rate and review healthcare providers based on LGBTQ-friendliness?

Well, the project — built by couple Nic Anthony and Catherine Hofmann — is now live for the state of Pennsylvania, featuring a current database of 7,500 physicians.

https://twitter.com/qspacesapp/status/880147594067968001

“WE ARE SO EXCITED!” Hofmann said of the launch in an email. The project has been in the works for a year and a half, backed by the founding duo. So far, the only outside funding for the project is a $10,000 check from Jefferson: the company got on the hospital’s radar after participating on its JAZ Tank pitch competition.

(Our sister site Generocity also covered the launch. Read their coverage here.)

“It’s awesome to know that [the site] is live and working, and will help LGBTQ folks make informed decisions when choosing a provider,” said Hofmann, who’s been doing the bulk of the work behind the platform while wife Nic, a medical student, gears up for her board exams. “Her life is stressful,” Hofmann added.

It’s hard to find a better way to convey the impact QSpaces could potentially have than a three-minute video shot by Lendl Tellington and directed by Haley and Simone Jude. It shares moving testimony of LGBT people and their experiences with healthcare providers not in sync with their needs.

https://vimeo.com/223498300

“We want to let the LGBTQ community know that somebody in Philadelphia is actively working to help them find the best providers,” Hofmann said. “We want to use the site analytics as proof of concept to many people outside of the LGBTQ community who think this isn’t an issue. We hope to receive more feedback from the community to help plan the next features, the features they really want to use. We hope LGBTQ folks have more pertinent information when choosing a provider.”

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