On Wednesday, June 4, the Massachusetts eHealth Institute’s (MeHI) Advancing Health Equity in Massachusetts (AHEM) Challenge event brought together more than 200 entrepreneurs, investors, public health leaders, policymakers and innovation partners to spotlight this year’s cohort and celebrate bold solutions.
For this Challenge, MeHI sought startups and entrepreneurs who are developing and validating digital health-based solutions that support the goals of the Healey-Driscoll administration’s Advancing Health Equity in Massachusetts (AHEM) Initiative.
“With the AHEM Challenge, and MeHI’s three prior challenges, our team addresses some of the state’s most pressing health care issues head-on to drive equitable, inventive health care solutions that will enhance the lives of residents across Massachusetts,” said MeHI Director Keely Benson. “The mentorship of our 10 cutting-edge Sandbox Network partners is also crucial to the success and impact of MeHI’s Challenge program.”
This Challenge included four tracks to meet AHEM’s goals of eliminating racial, economic and regional disparities in health outcomes:
- AI for Health Equity
- Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) for Cardiometabolic Diseases
- Maternal and Infant Health
- Medicaid Pilot Track (MPT)
At the event, 11 startups pitched tech-enabled solutions across those four AHEM Challenge tracks.
This year’s winning startups are:
- Greens Health, winner of the AI for Health Equity track, will work with UMass Chan Medical School to further develop Greens Health’s AI-driven diabetes management solution focused on serving underserved communities through culturally tailored education and monitoring. Listen to Greens Health CEO and co-Founder Kehlin Swain describe their solution here.
- Culture Care Collective, winner of the Addressing Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) for Cardiometabolic Care track, will work with Mass General Brigham to advance Culture Care Collective’s AI-powered care coordination platform that connects minoritized patients to essential health and social services to reduce clinical burden and improve access and outcomes. Hear more about this solution from Culture Care Collective CEO and co-Founder Cynthia Orofo Ph.D., RN here.
- Candlelit Care, winner of the Maternal Health track, will work with UMass Chan Medical School to pilot Candlelit Care’s mental health screening and treatment platform that improves early intervention for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, with a focus on Black maternal health. Listen to Candlelit Care CEO and Founder Lauren Elliot describe their solution here.
- myBiometry, winner of the Medicaid Pilot track (MPT), will work with UMass Chan Medical School and Community Care Cooperative (C3) to pilot myBiometry’s respiratory health platform that uses predictive insights to detect early asthma and COPD deterioration. Hear more about this solution from myBiometry CEO and Founder Bryan Nolan here.
Candlelit Care, Culture Care Collective and Greens Health were each a beneficiary of $50,000 grants paid to their sandbox partners to support their projects and myBiometry was the beneficiary of a $100,000 grant paid to UMass Chan Medical School and C3 to support their pilot.
“This work is critical, ensuring that digital health solutions reach communities statewide, especially those that are often unserved and underserved,” said MeHI Director of Digital Health Innovation Katie Green. “MeHI looks forward to how this year’s winners, alongside their sandbox partners, will shape the future of the health care delivery.”
The event also featured keynote remarks from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers President and CEO Michael Curry and Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Robert Goldstein. Two panel discussions also explored the strengths of the state’s health innovation ecosystem and the importance of public-private collaboration in advancing equitable care.
Click here to view MeHI's event video recap.