Announcing the NCMM Healthcare Access Mobility Design Challenge

Healthcare Access Mobility Design Challenge

A Federal Ladders of Opportunity Initiative

 

The Federal Transit Administration-funded National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) has launched its Healthcare Access Mobility Design Challenge, seeking eight community teams to design innovative solutions to common transportation challenges related to healthcare , including:

 

• Access to preventive care, primary care, and/or health education opportunities
• Access to ongoing dialysis treatment for people with end stage renal disease
• Access to post-hospitalization doctor’s appointments, rehabilitation therapy, and other services to help people avoid re-hospitalization
• Access to behavioral health treatment

Each multidisciplinary team, competitively selected to participate in the six-month Design Challenge, will receive grant funds of up to $25,000 and technical assistance to take potential solutions from concept to impact.

 

NCMM is using the human-centered design thinking approach to support communities as they develop, test, and prepare ready-to-launch healthcare transportation access solutions. Local teams will use their grant funds to develop and strengthen broad-based coalitions including members from healthcare, transportation, consumer advocacy organizations, technology, consumers, caregivers, and others with valuable skills, experiences, and perspectives.

 

Before applying, NCMM expects prospective teams to use design thinking principles and techniques to:

 

• Implement research to deeply understand the experience of patients and others affected by healthcare access barriers within the chosen challenge area. This research will supplement existing research already conducted within the community.
• Explore a wide range of ideas, then narrow down those ideas to at least two proposed concepts they believe might solve the access barriers identified.

 

During the Challenge period, teams will strengthen the concepts through engagements with customers and other stakeholders, selecting one concept to prepare for implementation. The goal is for each community to show that their proposed solution 1) is wanted and will be used by customers – both riders and customers from the healthcare system, 2) is operationally and technologically feasible, and 3) is financially viable and sustainable.

 

Applications are due March 27, 2015. For more information visit the Design Challenge website at www.nc4mm.org/Challenge.

 

This opportunity is made possible with funding from the Federal Transit Administration through the federal Ladders of Opportunity Initiative; one aim of the initiative is to leverage healthcare and transportation partnerships to improve individual and family health, and reduce healthcare costs.

 

The National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM) is a national technical assistance center created to facilitate communities in adopting mobility management strategies. The NCMM is funded through a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration, and is operated through a consortium of three national organizations—the American Public Transportation Association, the Community Transportation Association of America, and Easter Seals.

Visit: www.nationalcenterformobilitymanagement.org