A desire to provide healthcare that meets the needs of underserved populations led Dr. Michelle Jackson Little to establish not one, but two innovative organizations. She co-founded Foundation Direct Family Care in Dalton, Ga., and Bridgepoint Correctional Health alongside partner Dr. Kayla Dziuba.
Michelle was working at a hospital system after completing her residency when she discovered a desire "to provide care in a different way." That discovery led to the establishment of Foundation Direct Family Care, which operates on a membership model designed to remove insurance barriers while giving patients greater access to their doctors. For a flat monthly rate, members receive unlimited office, text and telehealth visits along with access to discounted blood work and medications through an in-house pharmacy.
While building the practice, Michelle took a job providing care in a jail to supplement her income and discovered "a lot of need in that setting as well." That led to Bridgepoint's establishment and its work to provide medical services to inmates in correctional settings.
The creative approach to meeting the needs she encounters reflects traits Michelle showed during her time as a resident and peer-elected chief resident at Atrium Health Floyd. Family medicine residency program director, Dr. Kelly Vlass Culbertson, noted: "Dr. Little has always been willing to take risks, look at situations from all perspectives, and has the intelligence to find creative solutions to difficult problems."
The roots of Michelle's entrepreneurial approach to healthcare reach back to Berry, where the Spanish graduate complemented her studies with coursework in biology and chemistry, developed leadership skills through Residence Life, and spent a summer gaining healthcare experience in Costa Rica. She credits those experiences with strengthening the language, cultural understanding, critical thinking and leadership skills she now brings to her work. Her proficiency in Spanish also helps Foundation Direct Family Care serve Spanish-speaking patients in their native language.
Building a patient base required considerable personal sacrifice. The founding partners went eight months without taking paychecks as they built the practice, while Michelle's additional jobs helped support her and keep the venture moving forward. When their first paychecks finally came, the partners put them toward the down payment on a historic downtown building for their growing business. Their restoration of the property later received a 2022 Outstanding Preservation Project Award from the city.
