Veterans Health Adminstration – Matthew Razak – April 23, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic requires innovative thinking and problem solving right now. Hackathons are a powerful tool to address these challenges. Earlier this month, VA partnered with MIT and a host of other organizations to put on the MIT COVID-19 Challenge “Beat the Pandemic” Hackathon.
Over 1,400 innovators – leaders in academia, industry and healthcare – came together virtually to develop, design, and solve the most pressing problems facing both vulnerable populations and the health care systems taking care of them.
Powerful display of collaboration and innovation
Winning solutions included:
– a telehealth platform that can help monitor COVID-19 patients in their home self-assessment triaging for patients at home
– a way for multiple patients to use a single ventilator
– a platform that connects those in quarantine with livestreams across the country
– a platform that delivers the latest innovations and medical advice to help hospitals navigate the crisis
– a method for disseminating COVID-19 information to rural clinicians more rapidly
“It was a powerful display of incredible collaboration and innovation in the collective fight against a common enemy. I left the weekend with a newfound hope in our ability to not just help the Veterans we serve but beat the pandemic entirely,” said Suzanne Shirley, VHA Director of Partnerships & Community Engagement.
https://news.va.gov/73988/mit-va-partner-covid-19-hackathon/