06.14.22
Johnson & Johnson has announced the 14 awardees of its Health Equity Innovation Challenge. The awardees, who possess lived experience and a deep understanding of the communities they serve, were selected for their work in generating solutions to help close racial health and mortality gaps in six cities where Black and Brown individuals experience significant health inequities, according to J&J. The cities are Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City and Philadelphia.
The Health Equity Innovation Challenge was created by Johnson & Johnson as a part of the company's "Our Race to Health Equity," a commitment to help eradicate the public health threats of racial and social injustices by eliminating health inequities for people of color. The challenge aims to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and socioeconomic impact by supporting innovative solutions from local entrepreneurs, start-ups, innovators, and community-based organizations that have the potential to advance health equity, said J&J.
Selected from a pool of more than 180 applicants by an independent judging committee, each awardee is receiving seed funding from a pool of more than $1 million from Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., mentorship from renowned entrepreneurs and public health experts, and access to the Johnson & Johnson-JLabs ecosystem, which includes networking opportunities and more, to advance their innovations.
KARE Mobile addresses thjose who live in dental deserts. Sixty-three million people in the US live in dental deserts. KARE Mobile has piloted one-chair, mobile dentistry vans that expand access to quality oral care for under- and uninsured communities while simultaneously empowering young dentists to pursue cost-effective practice ownership through a franchise business model. Funds will be used to expand these services to Detroit, MI in collaboration with community partners.
By building the capacity of barbershops to function as trustworthy point-of-care venues, TRAP Medicine is providing free, quality onsite healthcare services and education to address health disparities, mental health inequities and other preventable conditions among Black men. Challenge funds will be used to pilot a standalone Barbershop Wellness Hub, where men ages 18-35 can access a range of medical, mental health, and wraparound services. During this period, TRAP Medicine will also work to identify pathways to scale this model to other areas throughout the state and country.
"Innovation plays a key role in addressing health inequities, but that innovation doesn't always come from a big company like Johnson & Johnson. The individuals that are living, breathing, and experiencing these inequities know what they are and why they are happening, and they have great ideas for how to solve them," noted Seema Kumar, global head, office of innovation, global health and scientific engagement at Johnson & Johnson. "We are incredibly grateful to all of the innovators and the impact they're making for under-resourced communities across the country – from stimulating diversity in science and healthcare, to reducing barriers to better health outcomes and affordable care – and so much more."
Additional information on the 2021 Challenge awardees and their community-based innovations can be found here.
The Health Equity Innovation Challenge was created by Johnson & Johnson as a part of the company's "Our Race to Health Equity," a commitment to help eradicate the public health threats of racial and social injustices by eliminating health inequities for people of color. The challenge aims to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and socioeconomic impact by supporting innovative solutions from local entrepreneurs, start-ups, innovators, and community-based organizations that have the potential to advance health equity, said J&J.
Selected from a pool of more than 180 applicants by an independent judging committee, each awardee is receiving seed funding from a pool of more than $1 million from Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., mentorship from renowned entrepreneurs and public health experts, and access to the Johnson & Johnson-JLabs ecosystem, which includes networking opportunities and more, to advance their innovations.
Access To Oral Care & Wellness Hub
The winners address many health issues from mental health to asthma to diabetes to oral care. Two have connections to HAPPI’s markets—KARE Mobile and TRAP Medicine.KARE Mobile addresses thjose who live in dental deserts. Sixty-three million people in the US live in dental deserts. KARE Mobile has piloted one-chair, mobile dentistry vans that expand access to quality oral care for under- and uninsured communities while simultaneously empowering young dentists to pursue cost-effective practice ownership through a franchise business model. Funds will be used to expand these services to Detroit, MI in collaboration with community partners.
By building the capacity of barbershops to function as trustworthy point-of-care venues, TRAP Medicine is providing free, quality onsite healthcare services and education to address health disparities, mental health inequities and other preventable conditions among Black men. Challenge funds will be used to pilot a standalone Barbershop Wellness Hub, where men ages 18-35 can access a range of medical, mental health, and wraparound services. During this period, TRAP Medicine will also work to identify pathways to scale this model to other areas throughout the state and country.
"Innovation plays a key role in addressing health inequities, but that innovation doesn't always come from a big company like Johnson & Johnson. The individuals that are living, breathing, and experiencing these inequities know what they are and why they are happening, and they have great ideas for how to solve them," noted Seema Kumar, global head, office of innovation, global health and scientific engagement at Johnson & Johnson. "We are incredibly grateful to all of the innovators and the impact they're making for under-resourced communities across the country – from stimulating diversity in science and healthcare, to reducing barriers to better health outcomes and affordable care – and so much more."
Additional information on the 2021 Challenge awardees and their community-based innovations can be found here.