Dandelion Health - Direct Primary Care

09/10/2025

We've called our local pharmacies to gather info on where and how folks can access the updated (2025-2026) COVID-19 vaccine this year. This info should apply to all of Virginia pharmacies. If you know updates on these, please comment on the post.
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We, Dr. Dianat and Dr. Joe, have observed the significant benefits of vaccination for childhood and adult diseases throughout our careers. This includes vaccination for seasonal influenza and COVID-19. These vaccines help reduce the severity of illness for all of our patients and also reduce the community spread to our patients and neighbors who are particularly vulnerable to severe illness or death from these viruses. While the average low risk person may have modest benefit from annual vaccines, staying up-to-date is part of our social contract to protect each other and reduce the overall burden of disease.

In our review of the literature and guidance from our professional organizations, we recommend that everyone, except those with rare contraindications, get vaccinated, especially if you or your close contacts are higher risk of a poor outcome.

We are following the vaccine guidance from our major professional organization, the American Academy of Family Physicians , whose vaccine recommendation is aligned with the American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetrics & Gynecologists. See 's recent post for specifics on who should get vaccinated.

06/01/2023

It's the last day of Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project's 2023 Fund-a-Thon! Between now and 11:59 PM, Dandelion Health - Direct Primary Care will match all donations up to $250. We love RRFP for their values of Reproductive Justice, Collective Liberation, Accessibility, Self-determination, and Redistribution & Economic Justice. Let's goooo!

05/04/2023

04/21/2023

Our Dandelion Health docs attended the Black Maternal Health Summit hosted by last week to learn more about their work and how our primary care team can participate in the movement to reduce Black maternal mortality. We're grateful for all that Birth in Color is doing across Virginia to increase doula support before, after, and during labor, to improve maternal mortality and morbidity (including passing legislation for Medicaid coverage for doulas, and now advocating for all insurers to reimburse doulas-we strongly support this!) We were also excited to learn that they are translating their doula training to Spanish to increase Spanish-speaking doulas in Virginia.

At Dandelion Health, we believe in Reproductive Justice as defined by that “all people have a right to bodily autonomy, including the right to have children, to not have children, and to parent children in safe and sustainable communities.”

In our relationship with patients and families, the core of this is listening, believing, informing, and helping people through decisions, centered around their needs and preferences and life circumstances. This is what we strive for when we say we provide care with "dignity" at Dandelion Health.

Check out the work of , the inspiring keynote speaker and midwife and also our primary care services .

04/13/2023

Dandelion Health will be there — join us! Looking forward to the great speakers and lots of learning and meeting folks at this all-day event by Birth in Color!

Join us TOMORROW for our annual Black Maternal Health Summit! This will be a full day of speakers, workshops, and interactive learning to bridge the gap between maternal and reproductive health justice. Be sure to register for this event using the link below or in our insta bio! A continental breakfast & lunch will be included.

https://givebutter.com/blackmaternalhealthweek

03/27/2023

We are growing! We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Dianat will start seeing patients at Dandelion Health starting next week! She co-founded Dandelion Health with Dr. Joe and has been instrumental in our development. She is accepting new primary care patients of all ages and genders.

Aligned with our values at Dandelion Health, Dr. Dianat is a "comprehensivist" who will be able to care for you and your family's preventive care needs and help to address a wide range of urgent or chronic symptoms and conditions.

Uniquely, Dr. Dianat has extensive experience providing sexual and reproductive health care, including gender affirming care. Her practice is informed by principles of reproductive justice and trauma-informed care. She has nine years of experience as a physician and is excited to welcome you and your family as new members of Dandelion Health.

03/27/2023

We are growing! We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Dianat will start seeing patients at Dandelion Health starting next week! She co-founded Dandelion Health with Dr. Joe and has been instrumental in our development. She is accepting new primary care patients of all ages and genders.

Aligned with our values at Dandelion Health, Dr. Dianat is a "comprehensivist" who will be able to care for you and your family's preventive care needs and help to address a wide range of urgent or chronic symptoms and conditions.

Uniquely, Dr. Dianat has extensive experience providing sexual and reproductive health care, including gender affirming care. Her practice is informed by principles of reproductive justice and trauma-informed care. She has nine years of experience as a physician and is excited to welcome you and your family as new members of Dandelion Health.

03/03/2023

As we decorate our walls at Dandelion Health, we’re excited to feature this beautiful poem by our neighbor Joanna Lee MD of River City Poets and Cafe Zata. It was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier this year (and she has many other publications that we encourage you to check out!)

It’s so important to have creative expressions at times of hardship. As health care providers, patients, and humans in general, we appreciate poetry in medicine because it can bring healing, adds perspective, and eases the sense of isolation. Thanks, Joanna!

03/02/2023

This postcard is from Escuela de la Montaña in Guatemala, where Dr Joe studied Spanish. If anyone is looking for Spanish language immersion, we highly recommend Escuela de la Montaña and Proyecto Lingüistico Quetzalteco de Español.

We know that language concordance is important in improving health outcomes. At Dandelion Health, we prioritize providing care in the patient’s preferred language. About 35% of Dandelion Health’s patients prefer Spanish.

Shoutout also to Dr Joe’s first Spanish language teacher at Douglas S. Freeman High School, who was patient with him before he recognized how important learning the language would be.
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Esta postal es de Escuela de la Montaña en Guatemala, donde el Dr. Joe estudió español. Si alguien está buscando una inmersión en el idioma español, recomendamos a Escuela de la Montaña y Proyecto Lingüistico Quetzalteco de Español sin dudarlo.

Sabemos que la concordancia lingüística es importante para mejorar los resultados de salud. En Dandelion Health, priorizamos dar atención en el idioma preferido del paciente. Alrededor del 35 % de los pacientes de Dandelion Health prefieren el español.

Un saludo también al primer profesor de español del Dr. Joe en Douglas S. Freeman High School que fue muy paciente con él antes de reconocer lo importante que sería aprender el idioma.

03/01/2023

We started Dandelion Health to better care for patients and to better care for health care workers. Our vision and goal for 2023 is to incorporate more elements of care economy and solidarity economy. Look out over the next few months on steps we’re taking toward this.

Locally, we are inspired by the works of RVA Community Fridges, Richmond Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, and the Richmond Reproductive Freedom Project. Nationally, we are inspired by the Sustainable Economies Law Center. And we draw from our learnings from AORTA : Anti-Oppression Resource and Training Alliance, the US Federation of Worker Cooperatives, and the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center.

As our seeds continue to cross-pollinate with neighbors and community organizations, we are excited for what the new solar year holds, with the upcoming Spring Equinox rejuvenating us once more.

#804

02/28/2023

We did some decorating at Dandelion Health this weekend to celebrate nearly one year of being in our space at 1312 Hull St! We’ll write about each of the frames we mounted over the next few days.