Over the next three years, Amazon Web Services (AWS) aims to invest $40 million in organizations focused on improving health outcomes for marginalized and underrepresented areas. Participating firms will also receive AWS credits and technical assistance as part of the project.
- Improvement: Companies applying for the grants should focus on improving health access for marginalized communities, tackling social determinants of health, or utilizing data to create a more equitable health system. Those interested in participating in the program must submit an application by November 15th.
- Disparities: Over the last year, health disparities have been a hot topic in the medical community. During the COVID-19 epidemic, hospitalization rates were disproportionately high among Black, Latino, and Native American people of all ages.
- Outcomes: Many health outcomes are influenced by events outside of the hospital. According to the American Action Forum, medical care is responsible for only around 10-20% of health outcomes. Thirty percent is due to heredity, 40-50 percent is due to behavior, and the remaining 20% is due to a patient’s social and physical surroundings.
- Commitment: The corporation has also made a financial commitment to help with other medical difficulties. AWS stated in April that it would allocate $12 million to cloud-based disease-fighting solutions. In addition, the business committed a $20 million investment in COVID-19 diagnoses, research, and testing in 2020.
- Equity: This isn’t AWS’ first foray into the field of health equity. The National Health IT Collaborative for the Underserved, Health Impact’s Trust A Nurse, Ask A Nurse, and the Rush University Medical Center Population Health Analytics Hub have all benefited from the company’s technology.
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