Passport Health Celebrates 25 Years Helping Travelers Stay Healthy

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (March 26, 2019) — – From travel writers to safari goers, field workers to military contractors, rock bands to missionaries, and countless other adventurers, Passport Health has been ensuring those traveling abroad have a healthy trip for 25 years. Started in 1994 by nurse and Founder Fran Lessans, Scottsdale-based Passport Health has grown to be the leader in travel medicine, dominating the market with 280 clinics across North America.

“It was when I was working at a university health center I noticed more and more of my students were traveling abroad, but pre-travel medical services were not readily available and were incomplete and fragmented, at best,” reflects Lessans. “Many students fell ill, often seriously, during an international trip, despite having received some immunizations prior to departure. A comprehensive approach was necessary to keep travelers happy and healthy, so I worked on my plan to implement our holistic solution.”

The first clinic, located in Baltimore, Maryland, was designed to be a one-stop-shop for travelers headed to any destination. It quickly became clear expansion across the U.S. was the next step. In 1997, Passport Health began offering franchises. By 2000, there were 34 clinics across 15 states, with continued growth.

“We are here to save lives,” said David Tedesco, Passport Health Chairman. “Often, people don’t know what they need to do to protect their health when traveling abroad. We’ve continued to expand and grow over the last two decades to ensure travelers have access to both the education and vaccinations they need to travel well.”

In 2013, Passport Health started expanding internationally, opening clinics in Toronto, Canada. This was soon followed by clinics in Mexico City, Mexico and other regions within both countries.
Today, with 280 locations and market dominance across North America, Passport Health has begun its global expansion strategy, opening clinics in the UK within the coming months.

“We’re happy to be able to help so many travelers across North America as they prepare to travel abroad,” said Mr. Tedesco. “Our mission is to keep people healthy at home and abroad. We’ve done it for 25 years, and plan to do it for at least 25 more.”