Innovation to Improve Community Health & Vibrancy Spreads Across Kansas
Photo from the 2024 Community Health and Vibrancy Innovation Showcase. Photo courtesy of Darrin Hackney.
Wichita, Kan. – September 30, 2024 – NXTUS, Inc.’s Community Health & Vibrancy Pilot Competition, presented by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS), concluded Wednesday with an innovation showcase highlighting emerging initiatives to improve population health and community growth momentum across the state.
The 2024 program brought together seven community partners from leading Kansas health and economic-development organizations and 10 innovative finalists from around the world. Together, the groups explored how technology tools could improve health outcomes in Kansas. At the showcase event, the finalists pitched, and the program partners committed to piloting solutions that tackle key challenges such as women's and maternal health, veteran career opportunities, holistic individual care, early skin cancer detection, citizen engagement, and gamified addiction recovery.
The showcase led to these announcements for pilot projects and collaborations:
Thrive Allen County: Continuing to work with Myri Health and Polco on current projects, as well as continued discussions with Major Talent.
Hodgeman County Economic Development: Pursuing pilot projects with Marma, Major Talent, and Kwit. They are also continuing conversations with Polco.
Russell Regional Hospital: Exploring project opportunities for each of the finalists within the hospital and local community networks.
LiveWell Northwest Kansas: Pursing funding and connection opportunities with the finalists in their 9-county region.
This year’s program welcomed three new community pilot partners: JenRus Freelance Marketing – Republic County, Salina Area Chamber of Commerce, and HopeNet. These partners were enthusiastic participants in the program and, in the wake of the showcase, are eager to connect with the finalists to explore opportunities in their communities.
“We’re thrilled to have these new partners on board,” said Symbria Hansen, Program Manager at NXTUS. “They’ve brought new opportunities to address and a sincere commitment to improving community health. We look forward to seeing how their collaborations with our finalists will unfold over time.”
Since 2021, the competition has kick-started 55 local and statewide projects, and this year’s program attracted 136 competitors from 31 states and 11 countries. Of these diverse competitors, 72 percent had females or minorities on their founding teams, and 100 percent of the finalists had ethnic minorities or females as founders.
“The Community Health and Vibrancy competition has been a game changer for bringing solutions to rural health challenges across our state,” said Virginia Barnes, BCBSKS Director of Blue Health Initiatives. “We are proud to support this competition because it means more resources, healthier Kansans, and stronger, more well-connected communities.”
In addition to the presenting sponsorship from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, this unique program is made possible by support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, Kansas Health Foundation, NetWorked Partnership for Community Investment, OneRise Health Campus (Lange Companies), Kansas Health Science University - Kansas College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the Greater Wichita Partnership’s Opportunity Wichita affiliate.
These 2024 NXSTAGE Community Health & Vibrancy Finalists pitched at the Innovation Showcase today:
Kwit (Strasbourg, France): Using cognitive and behavioral sciences and gamification, Kwit reinvents how addictive disorders are treated.
Ladder Health (Washington DC): Ladder Health is an innovative primary care service partnering with local firehouses to deliver trusted, in-community care.
Leva (Kansas City, KS): Leva holistically supports new moms and families, reducing turnover and boosting productivity and morale.
Major Talent (Omaha, NE): Creating a better experience for our Veterans by translating their careers into industry terminology and helping companies intentionally hire Veterans.
Marma (Kansas City, KS): Marma is an OB-GYN-approved platform that offers personalized nutrition during the birthing years from fertility through postpartum.
Motivity Care (New York City, NY): Motivity Care simplifies caregiving management, offering an innovative solution for working caregivers, employers, and community partners.
Myri (Tulsa, OK): Myri Health is an AI-powered app and SaaS platform providing personalized, data-driven care and comprehensive care coordination, improving birthing outcomes and reducing preterm labor.
Polco (Middleton, WI): Polco's software and AI saves public servants critical time and resources by simplifying everything from grant writing to strategic planning.
SeeInMe (Lee’s Summit, MO): SeeInMe promotes collaborative, coordinated care, fueled by data-driven insights and a relentless focus on the uniqueness of every individual.
SkinCheck (Tulsa, OK): SkinCheck is an AI-powered mobile tool for enhancing dermatological care access and early skin cancer detection for all people.