News From MeHI
November/December 2021
Final Pitch Event: Massachusetts Digital Health COVID-19 Recovery Challenge
Please join us virtually for the Final Pitch Event for the Digital Health Innovations in Caregiving Challenge. This event is the culmination of the first of two Massachusetts Digital Health COVID-19 Recovery Challenges, a new program meant to identify and grow digital health tools that will help drive economic recovery from the pandemic. The first Challenge focused on finding solutions to help unpaid family caregivers manage caregiving tasks that were exacerbated by the pandemic and to more easily return to work. The program is run by Lever, Inc. and MeHI, and supported by funding from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration's SPRINT Challenge Grant program.
Wednesday,
December 8, 2021
2:00pm - 5:00pm
Learn more about the finalists:

MeHI's Sandbox Program to Serve as a Testbed for New AARP AgeTech Collaborative
This fall, AARP launched the AgeTech CollaborativeTM, a new platform to help agetech innovators generate ideas and test their products. AARP's recent study of technology use shows that ownership, use, and spending among those 50 and older is growing, with no signs of slowing down. Innovation will be the key to helping people take advantage of longer and healthier lives in the coming years, the 38-million-member association says. In light of this, the AgeTech Collaborative brings nearly 50 AgeTech startups together with venture capitalists, industry leaders, and creative testbeds to bring meaningful change and help solve the challenges of aging. MeHI’s Digital Health Sandbox Program will serve as one of six testbeds where companies can validate their products. To learn more, read the full press release or watch a video about the collaborative. 
On November 18, 2021, the Massachusetts Caregiver Coalition held a Summit in Boston to highlight the needs of unpaid family caregivers. The Coalition’s mission is to work with employers to increase awareness of – and support for – unpaid family caregivers in the Commonwealth and ensure that all employers have the tools necessary to recognize, honor, and support family caregivers. 
 
Governor Baker provided a video greeting to attendees. The event also featured:

  • A fireside chat with the Secretary of Elder Affairs and the CEO of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving discussing how businesses can engage with policymakers to support family caregivers;
  • A business panel of senior executives from PwC, EMD Serono, Citizens Bank, and Lantheus, discussing the economic benefits of supporting employees who are caregivers;
  • A discussion on the role of workplace benefits featuring leaders from ARCHANGELS, Bank of America, and the University of Pennsylvania; and
  • Remarks by Mark Butler, President of Cigna New England, Rev. Donnie Anderson of the Pilgrim United Church of Christ in New Bedford, Laurance Stuntz, Director of MeHI, and JD Chesoff, President of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable.
Supporting family caregiving is a critical workforce opportunity that employers should acknowledge and champion. The Coalition supports initiatives such as the recently launched Any Care Counts campaign, which aims to heighten awareness of family caregivers among employers.
For more information or to join the Coalition, visit macaregivercoalition.org.
Massachusetts digital health companies are actively seeking staff with experience in healthcare to bring operations and clinical expertise to their organizations. As the only free resource solely dedicated to open digital health roles in Massachusetts, the MassDigitalHealth jobs board is the best way to find opportunities in this growing sector. Below are a few examples of the over 3,100 open roles currently on the board:
 
  • Boston-based startup Empatica is seeking a Program Manager for Clinical Operations to manage their internal efforts in the clinical space and to monitor and coordinate data acquisition work in multi-center clinical studies.

  • Seniorlink, a tech-enabled care management company dedicated to supporting family caregivers, is hiring for a Care Manager.
  • Firefly Health is looking for a Nurse Practitioner with at least experience 2 years of experience in a primary care setting.

Find your next career at jobs.massdigitalhealth.org.
Questions? Email Katie Green at green@masstech.org.
Upcoming Events
Healthcare Provider Cybersecurity Monthly Call
Join MeHI and the MassCyberCenter on Thursday, December 9 at 10:00 am for our monthly health care provider cybersecurity call. As always, we will be joined by Ron Ford – Cybersecurity Advisor for CISA New England, and Sergeant Brian Gavioli of the Massachusetts State Police and Commonwealth Fusion Center, both of whom will provide updates on recent cyber threats and trends. The monthly discussion topic for this call will be cyber insurance.
These calls will continue to occur on the second Thursday of every month and will feature a discussion leader from MeHI and the MassCyberCenter, CISA, the Commonwealth Fusion Center, and additional guest speakers to provide updates on emerging threats and cover a monthly topic of interest from the group. You can register for the call now by visiting our Zoom registration page. If you have any questions on the series please email fathy@masstech.org.
Thursday,
December 9, 2021
10:00am-10:45am