Aetna Foundation Issues $4.5 Million Challenge to Accelerate Digital Health Innovation
11 December 2014 - 4:51AM
Business Wire
Healthier World Innovation Challenge Will
Award Up to $750,000 to Up to Six Winners to Support Health
Technology for Underserved Communities
The Aetna Foundation is calling on organizations to leverage
technology to make an impact on health outcomes in vulnerable
communities. The Foundation today announced the Healthier World
Innovation Challenge, a $4.5 million initiative designed to steer
digital health innovation to improve chronic health outcomes in
underserved communities. Six Challenge winners will not only
receive up to $750,000 each over three consecutive years, but will
also have support from the Aetna Foundation and partner resources
to implement their innovation. The Challenge is part of a larger,
three-year digital health commitment by the Aetna Foundation to
help address public health concerns. With the addition of the
Challenge, the Aetna Foundation’s commitment to digital health will
now total $5.7 million between 2014 and 2016.
The Healthier World Innovation Challenge comes at a critical
time when technology usage is on the rise in underserved
communities. Research from the Pew Research Center shows that 84
percent of low-income adults have a mobile phone and one in three
mobile phone owners have used their phone to look up health
information.
Just as technology use continues to rapidly increase in
underserved communities, there is also an increase in the urgent
public health need to address chronic illnesses, such as diabetes,
heart disease and stroke. According to the CDC, heart disease and
diabetes are two of the top 10 leading causes of death among
African Americans, and Hispanics/Latinos are at a 66 percent higher
risk for diabetes compared to non-Hispanic white Americans.
“We’ve seen the difference health technology can make among
individuals and communities. It’s a proven way to build healthier
communities and empower people to take charge of their own health,”
said Garth Graham, M.D., MPH, president of the Aetna Foundation.
“Now we are asking organizations to join the Aetna Foundation in
creating even more positive ‘disruption’ in the status quo. The
Challenge will not only award financial support, but will allow us
to work hand-in-hand with organizations that are advancing creative
solutions to reduce health disparities and improve health
outcomes.”
All non-profit and community organizations with 501(c)(3) status
and state and local government agencies are eligible to enter the
Healthier World Innovation Challenge. Letters of inquiry must be
submitted between Jan. 5 and Feb. 16, 2015. Organizations selected
to submit a full proposal will be notified on March 20.
Organizations interested in entering the challenge can review
further details here.
To ensure that Aetna Foundation-funded digital health programs
are effective in improving the overall health and well-being of
vulnerable and minority communities, all organizations the
Foundation supports must meet strong evidence-based criteria. These
criteria include sustainable projects that can demonstrate
scalability; projects that have the potential for positive societal
impact; digital health programs that leverage available evidence
such as population health data or health care data; and digital
health support built on a strong foundation of behavioral or
applicable theory and grounded in research.
About the Aetna FoundationThe Aetna Foundation,
Inc. is the independent charitable and philanthropic arm of
Aetna Inc. (NYSE: AET). Since 1980, Aetna and the Aetna Foundation
have contributed more than $445 million in grants and sponsorships.
As a national health foundation, we promote wellness,
health, and access to high-quality health care for
everyone. This work is enhanced by the time and
commitment of Aetna employees, who have volunteered 3.4
million hours since 2003. For more information, visit
www.aetnafoundation.org.
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Aetna Foundation Media Contact:Elizabeth Sell,
215-380-1691selle@aetna.comorBRG Communications Media
Contact:Maureen Salazar,
703-739-8366msalazar@brgcommunications.com
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