Latitude Food Allergy Care and UCSF Health Form Strategic Alliance
UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians (UBCP) foundation has signed a partnership agreement with Latitude Food Allergy Care, a food-allergy clinic based in Redwood City, to expand access to medical care for the rising number of children with food allergies and provide an important referral option for clinicians whose patients require specialty food-allergy care.
The alliance will bring the Latitude clinical team into the UBCP network, enabling the clinic to accept insurance on an in-network basis with the major insurance carriers accepted by UCSF Health. Latitude now accepts insurance from all major insurance carriers.
As part of UCSF Health’s affiliated network, the clinic will complement the work of the pediatric allergy center at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco, which serves patients through both a clinical practice and participation in food-allergy clinical trials to help advance the field.
“Patients look to UCSF for specialty care that they cannot find in other medical centers,” said Lee Atkinson-McEvoy, MD, executive medical director for Children’s Primary Care, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals. “This partner agreement will benefit many families throughout the Bay Area who are looking for care for their children with food allergies, while still remaining in-network on their health plans.”
Latitude was created by parents who had navigated their own children’s food allergies and experienced what they found to be a universal gap in food-allergy care, including precise diagnostics, access to treatments such as oral immunotherapy, and on-going support. As the first clinic of its kind, Latitude uses an individualized approach that focuses on both the latest treatments and quality of life for the entire family.
“A child’s first allergic reaction to a food plunges the entire family into a new, terrifying world of unknown risks and fears,” said Latitude Chief Executive Officer Kimberley Yates (Grosso), who co-founded the clinic after her own family’s experience with food allergies. “After years of looking for answers, my daughter was lucky enough to have access to a transformational treatment. Since then, I have met families around the world who are also desperate to find solutions to keep their children safe.
“We founded Latitude to give all families access to the specialized care and support they need, in one clinic, with a team that is uniquely focused on food allergies,” Yates continued. “We appreciate that UCSF understands the significance of that unmet need and are grateful that they’ve chosen to partner with Latitude to address it.”
Nationwide, an estimated 1 in 13 children and more than 1 in 10 adults have at least one food allergy, representing more than 32 million Americans. The prevalence of food allergies in U.S. children increased by 50 percent from 1997 to 2011 and continues to rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Research in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has shown that every 3 minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to an emergency department.
While Latitude focuses exclusively on food allergies, it has strong relationships with allergists, pediatricians and primary care physicians throughout the Bay Area.
About Latitude Food Allergy Care: Latitude Food Allergy Care is a specialty clinic solely focused on food allergy – providing responsive, personalized and comprehensive care for food-allergic patients and their families. Services include early food introduction in hopes of prevention in infants, accurate diagnosis, food challenges, treatments, and long-term support. With a specialized clinical team, led by Zahida Rani Maskatia, MD, and patient care coordinators with personal experience, Latitude is guided by world renowned healthcare researchers, clinicians, and business advisors. With the initial clinic in Redwood City, CA, Latitude has plans to create a network of clinics across the nation. For more information, please visit https://latitudefoodallergycare.com/ and follow Latitude on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
About UCSF Health: UCSF Health is recognized worldwide for its innovative patient care, reflecting the latest medical knowledge, advanced technologies and pioneering research. It includes the flagship UCSF Medical Center, which is ranked among the top 10 hospitals nationwide, as well as UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, with campuses in San Francisco and Oakland, Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians and the UCSF Faculty Practice. These hospitals serve as the academic medical center of the University of California, San Francisco, which is world-renowned for its graduate-level health sciences education and biomedical research. UCSF Health has affiliations with hospitals and health organizations throughout the Bay Area. Visit www.ucsfhealth.org. Follow UCSF Health on Facebook or on Twitter.