Some of the healthcare startups out there are trying to close the digital divide and improve healthcare information for underserved communities. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is giving StartUp Health a $500,000 grant to teach entrepreneurs to develop tools to respond to the needs of these communities.
The StartUp Health Education Program for Entrepreneurs will launch in stages over the next two years, according to a company statement. It will create free resources for startups such as an online curriculum, educational tools and an expert network. It will also make it easier for digital health entrepreneurs to develop pilot programs and build products and services to meet the needs of these communities.
To give entrepreneurs a better sense of what is needed, it will provide an open access database highlighting opportunities. An adviser network will help mentor entrepreneurs. There will also be outreach to communities separated by the digital divide.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
Several companies have taken different approaches to the kind of technology RWJF is referring to. One is Moxe Health. Founded by two former EPIC staff members, it provides clinically relevant information for care coordination. Users would get an ID with a phone number and PIN. When they pass through a clinic or food pantry, a person there would call the number using the PIN and leave a “care message” explaining what treatment or service they were given. The next person in their health support network would also see the previous entries. There’s also health IT that connects people with behavioral health disorders to providers such as OwlOutcomes and telehealth services like Breakthrough, 1DocWay and iCouch which also cover underserved populations.
