Exploring Life & Business with Jerrica Kirkley of Plume

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jerrica Kirkley. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story began when I met our co-founder and CEO, Matthew Wetschler, at medical school, where we bonded through classwork, the desire to be clinicians, and our passion for supporting the LBGTQ+ community. After graduation, I started working as a family medicine resident, where I created a protocol on how to provide gender-affirming care, including gender-affirming hormone therapy, through an informed-consent model in my local community. Once this protocol was set in motion, the trans-patient population in the clinic grew sharply. Over time, I came to realize my own trans identity and came out as a trans woman. 

I came out to Matthew who responded with nothing but support, love, and the desire to be the best ally he could. We both realized that the process for which trans folks go through to receive basic healthcare along with gender-affirming hormone therapy was excruciatingly difficult and sought out to change that, creating Plume. 

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I grew up in the southeastern portion of the US, where I was surrounded by bigotry – most notably racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia in family, religious, and school settings. Because of this, I found it hard to find my voice as a young child, but as I grew older, I came to appreciate true allyship and resolved to fight bigotry in all forms. I saw medicine as a vehicle to not only heal but uplift all communities. 

It was challenging to see the reality of medicine in the United States as I progressed from undergrad to medical school to residency to formal practice and seeing that patients and clinicians were often not prioritized. 

It was frustrating to experience first-hand and see my patients experience barriers against gender-affirming care. 

Plume launched in December 2019, right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, which offered its own unique set of challenges. Despite that, though, Plume has flourished and grown consistently since launch, now being available in 33 states across the US. 

As you know, we’re big fans of Plume. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Plume is a leading gender-affirming telehealth platform that specializes in offering gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) to transgender people. Plume connects trans folks with a healthcare professional that guides them through the transition process via telehealth appointments, prescribes medication, and provides other wellness services as needed by the patient. 

Plume is currently available in 33 states across the US, reaching thousands of trans folks, making it the largest provider of transgender health in the country. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t look at the world through the lens of luck. I take each moment as it comes and try to make the best of it. 

Pricing:

• Plume costs $99/month

Contact Info:

• Website: https://getplume.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getplume/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getplume
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/get_plume

Image Credits
Plume