SDOH

doctors on screen
By  Laura Lovett 12:18 pm September 27, 2021
Amazon Web Services (AWS) plans to pour $40 million into organizations working on health outcomes for underserved and underrepresented communities over the next three years.  The effort will also give participating organizations AWS credits and technical support. Companies applying for the funds should be focused on expanding health access to underserved communities, addressing social...
Gardening
By  Laura Lovett 04:47 pm September 21, 2021
This morning care coordination startup Unite Us announced its purchase of fellow digital social determinants of health-focused company NowPow for an undisclosed sum.  NowPow’s technology centers on population health, and helps give patients referrals to community resources in order to address basic and other needs.  Similarly, Unite Us’ technology is focused on linking up community-based...
Dr. Walter Suarez
By  Laura Lovett 01:22 pm August 9, 2021
It’s no secret that a person’s overall health and wellness can depend a lot more on factors outside the doctor’s office than inside it. A person’s housing, education, access to healthcare, social inequities, institutional inequities and other social determinants of health play into a person’s overall health.  Health equity challenges exist around the globe. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and ...
Gardening in the community
By  Dr. Elizabeth Kwo and Alyson Hoots 10:50 am March 19, 2021
Over the past few years, we’ve seen an acceleration of efforts and much needed innovations in the healthcare system, including the recognition of the importance of the social determinants of health (SDOH) on patient outcomes and care. However, creating a truly connected ecosystem that addresses all aspects of a patient’s care (clinical and social) is only possible with the right supporting...
By  Dave Muoio 03:07 pm March 17, 2021
AI isn't ready for COVID-19 prime time. A systematic review of published this week in nature machine intelligence warns that new models using machine learning to review chest radiographs and chest computed tomographies for COVID-19 have major methodical deficiencies or underlying biases. Among the 62 published or pre-print papers outlining these approaches, the authors wrote that not a single one...
By  Dave Muoio 03:10 pm December 10, 2020
Cityblock Health, a startup using a tech platform to address health disparities and provide cost-effective care services, has announced a $160 million Series C round. General Catalyst led the raise, which also included Willington Management and unnamed prior backers. These investments come just a few months after the startup raised $53.5 million in a Series B+ round. The round brings the company'...
By  Dave Muoio 02:41 pm September 30, 2020
The Consumer Technology Association and the Connected Health Initiative announced this morning a new multi-sector initiative of private tech companies, healthcare providers and representatives of public agencies that aims to outline technology's role in addressing health disparities exacerbated by COVID-19. To this end, the effort's first major project will consist of a white paper containing...
By  Mallory Hackett 03:14 pm July 17, 2020
A parable used in public health goes, if there is a group of people who’ve fallen into a river that need saving, the traditional treatment method would be to rescue them from drowning downstream. However, going upstream to find the cause of why these people were falling into the river in the first place would follow the preventative method. The story is used to illustrate how addressing social...
By  Laura Lovett 02:13 pm July 16, 2020
Cityblock, a startup focused on used tech to tackling health disparities, has raised $53.5 million in what it describes as Series B+ funding. Kinnevik AB led the round with participation from AIMS Imprint of Goldman Sachs Asset Management and Alphabet, as well as existing investors.  This comes roughly a year after a $63 million Series B funding in April of 2019, and close to two years after the...
By  Dave Muoio 02:34 pm June 18, 2020
Community care service-coordination platform Unite Us announced this week that it has acquired Staple Health, a social determinants of health analytics company. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. Founded in 2017, Staple Health's specialty is predictive analytics regarding the role social factors can play in various health outcomes. Unite Us was interested in adding these strengths to its...