Latitude Opens New Clinics in Marin County and the Laurel Heights Neighborhood in San Francisco

Latitude is taking another step towards increasing access to specialized food allergy care and treatment by expanding into the North Bay and in San Francisco.

Latitude Food Allergy Care, the company transforming the way we understand and care for food allergies, is announcing expansion of its network of clinics into two new locations in the San Francisco Bay Area to increase access to specialized food allergy care and treatment. The Redwood City-based company will now offer its innovative food allergy services in the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and in Mill Valley in the North Bay. Latitude continues its plans to expand across the nation.

The everyday quality of life is massively impacted for the 32 million Americans living with the fear of anaphylaxis. According to a recent study from Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), McKinsey & Company, Northwestern University and Global Strategy Group, an even larger group of 104 million Americans is avoiding foods because of their, or someone in their household’s, allergy or food intolerance. Unnecessary avoidance of food due to an undiagnosed or misdiagnosed allergy not only impacts quality of life but also overall physical and mental health.

Latitude was founded in 2018 by Bay Area parents of children with food allergies to address the critical need for better care. Integral to the creation of Stanford University’s world-renowned food allergy research center, the company’s founders have over a decade of professional experience with food allergy patients and clinical trials. Joined by leading experts in allergy and immunology, the team designed a comprehensive program to support every food allergic individual and provide effective and affordable solutions. Latitude’s unique clinical model became the first of its kind to give patients and their families the power to understand, manage, treat and prevent their food allergies.

“Millions of people are desperate for answers to their food allergy questions,” said Kimberley Yates (Grosso), founder and CEO of Latitude. “Our team set out to transform food allergy care by providing a place where patients and their families could finally make sense of their food allergies and find solutions with full support from food allergy experts and clinicians. I am incredibly excited to announce that we now have five locations around the San Francisco Bay Area – now expanding care in the Laurel Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and to families in Marin County with our new location in Mill Valley. As members of the food allergy community ourselves, we know that specialized care is not only necessary but life-changing, and we are committed to making it accessible to all those who need it.”

As a member of the UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians network, Latitude has been recognized for its innovative approach to food allergy care. With the launch of its new specialty care clinics focused exclusively on food allergies, Latitude will expand access to its team of board-certified allergists and clinicians, providing additional referral options for clinicians whose patients require specialized food allergy care.

“Properly caring for a patient’s food allergy requires a great deal of time and specialized resources,” said allergist and immunologist Zahida “Rani” Maskatia, MD, the head of Latitude’s clinical team. “At Latitude we have brought a comprehensive diagnostic process, treatment options and patient support into one experience. Our program is personalized to the needs of each individual patient and their families so that they can find answers and solutions to their food allergies and no longer need to live in fear of them.”

Latitude’s full spectrum of care, includes prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and long term care:

• Gold Standard Diagnostic Process: Food allergy testing, which may incorporate a combination of oral food challenges, blood tests, skin tests and evaluation of medical history, are safely conducted by expert clinicians.
• Prevention: Tailored plans for early and regular food exposure are offered to infants that may be at risk of developing food allergies. Latitude’s in-house allergy specialists design and oversee every food introduction program.
• Treatment: Latitude offers food allergy treatments that are clinically proven to help overcome even the most severe food allergies and provide real solutions to improve your quality of life. Latitude offers desensitization to single and multiple allergens using oral immunotherapy (OIT).  Latitude is also one of the first to provide Palforzia, an FDA-approved OIT treatment for peanut allergy.
• Long-term care: Food allergies can change over time; Latitude can provide support on an ongoing basis to patients who have received OIT or clinical trial treatments, as well as, those who seek focused, long-term management and assessment of their food allergies.

Latitude’s five clinics, located in San Francisco, San Ramon, Mill Valley, Los Gatos and Redwood City provide in-person and virtual visits.