Every night in the US, a child enters a new home with no medical records, no doctor, and no continuity of care. Michelle Turner decided to fix that.

Michelle Turner is the Founder and CEO of Here Now Health, the first virtual healthcare company built exclusively for children and families impacted by the child welfare system. Before building this company, she fostered more than 40 children, served as a Court Appointed Special Advocate, led a global telehealth nonprofit, and ran a Federally Qualified Health Center. She didn’t build Here Now Health because she wanted to be a CEO. She built it because no one else would.

In this episode, Michael Stamatinos sits down with Michelle for one of the most powerful conversations in the history of the AHI Show. They get into what it actually looks like when a child enters foster care on a Friday night, how virtual trauma-informed care can change outcomes for an invisible population, and why 90% of their referrals convert to active care in a Medicaid system where 50% is considered acceptable.

Timestamps

00:00 – What foster care healthcare actually looks like

03:53 – Who is Michelle Turner and what is Here Now Health

04:46 – Fostering 40+ children: what the first placement taught her

07:54 – The gaps in foster care healthcare that made her angry

10:20 – Why she couldn’t leave this problem for someone else to solve

11:22 – Six years at Hazel Health and building startup skills

12:48 – How she accidentally raised her first investment check

15:44 – Why Medicaid is hard to build on (and why foster care changes that)

17:50 – Friday night scenario: a child arrives with no records, no doctor

19:51 – How often kids are seen and why caregiver support is everything

22:36 – Crossing state lines: licensed in West Virginia in 24 hours

24:53 – Being a foster mom and a CEO at the same time

28:44 – The teen who had never been asked what she thought about her own case plan

29:27 – Why foster kids are blamed for not engaging in systems that failed them

31:04 – 90% referral-to-care rate: why that number is extraordinary

32:25 – What she would say to a Medicaid executive in 60 seconds

35:35 – How to connect with Here Now Health

36:56 – What success looks like for foster children in 2036

Here Now Health is currently live in Virginia and Missouri, partnered with Anthem Health Keepers and Home State Health. New state launches are planned throughout 2026.

Follow Here Now Health: https://www.herenow.health/

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About the Show

The Advancing Healthcare Innovation Show is hosted by Michael Stamatinos, a nationally recognized connector, strategist, and advocate for innovation with purpose. Each week, Michael interviews healthcare leaders who are driving meaningful change—highlighting stories of access, resilience, equity, and transformation.

The AHI Show started with the idea of wanting to highlight stories of what healthcare innovation truly looks like in action. Our mission, highlight real people who are really innovating within healthcare. Guests include healthcare entrepreneurs, providers, payers, and professionals from the investment community. We showcase little wins as well as valuable lessons learned from setbacks through these interviews. The real innovators in healthcare are often the ones in the trenches doing the work with razor-sharp focus. We find these innovators and bring their stories to light.

🔗 Michael’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelstamo

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