DETROIT (April 27, 2021) – Henry Ford Innovations, in partnership with Google Cloud and Miracle Software Systems, will launch an international competition hosted in Detroit, inviting entrepreneurs to propose their top ideas for reducing health inequities through the use of digital technology. Henry Ford Innovations is the innovations arm of Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System.

“Through cross-industry partnerships, our ability to adopt technologies designed to end the disparities in health outcomes due to race, ethnicity, or gender increases exponentially,” said Carladenise Edwards, Ph.D., Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Henry Ford Health System. “We have achieved amazing advances in digital enablement in healthcare, especially over the last year, as the COVID-19 pandemic challenged us to think and act differently on behalf of our communities. But – if the populations experiencing the worse health outcomes aren’t benefiting from those achievements, then our journey is far from over.”

The Digital Inclusion Challenge, which runs through the summer, will kick off May 19, 2021 with a virtual conversation moderated by Dr. Edwards about the need for culturally sensitive and unbiased patient-centric solutions to be developed that bridge the gap between healthcare and technology.

The winner will receive $75,000 in cash and in-kind support toward developing their digital solution at Henry Ford Health System.

“That’s one of the most rewarding aspects of this challenge,” said Martina Caldwell, M.D., Medical Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Henry Ford Medical Group. “Not only will diverse thinkers and innovators who are truly committed to our shared health equity mission benefit from this challenge, our patients and the communities we serve will see a tangible benefit from the winning idea.”

All entries that address digital inclusion will be considered, with the focus on identifying those concepts that address the biggest pain points for digitally excluded patients. Among them:

How to make healthcare more affordable and accessible for digitally excluded patients
How to make it easier for these patients to learn about their health and healthcare services
How to empower care teams to deliver better services to these patients
“Technology can be a powerful driver for improving access and equity in health,” said Esteban López, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Google Cloud. “It’s important for us all to come together to empower innovation and shape the future of health.”

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