Over the past year Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem (VHA IE) and Veteran non-profit, Challenge America, held five COVID-19 Maker Challenge (Challenge) events that brought innovators from across the country together to develop solutions to the most pressing problems brought on by the pandemic. The five challenges focused on: first responders, environmental management services, nursing home/assisted living, caregivers, and disaster relief.
After the event, the Challenge teams continued their work with the help of many VA collaborators, through what is now, the VHA Innovators Network (iNET) Greenhouse initiative. Here is the latest on a few of those collaborations.
Flexi-Band
Team Breathable Mask designed a unique mask strap called the Flexi-Band to help patients on home oxygen wear a mask comfortably and won the User Experience award. The design accommodates an oxygen cannula while wearing a face mask and eliminates ear pressure. The Cleveland VA Medical Center (VAMC) printed the first round of prototypes, which were given to Veterans at the North Florida/South Georgia VA Healthcare System, Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (VAMC), and the Hunter Holmes McGuire VAMC to collect feedback on the fit and comfort of the strap with their masks and oxygen tubes. Round one feedback complete, the designers are working on changes to the current design to create a second prototype.
Tessellation Sanitization Station
Team HermTac earned top marks as the winner of the iEX Design Award for their Tessellation Sanitization Stations. This innovative solution uses concentrated UVC lighting to create a modular sanitizing box for larger sized objects. The VA Minneapolis Adaptive Design and Engineering Program worked with Team HermTac to create two prototypes of the boxes, which are in-route to the Charles George VAMC and the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital to be used to test on virtual reality equipment.
Portable Parallel Bars
Team Portable PT designed portable parallel bars that can be easily moved to different rooms, allowing nursing home residents who are in isolation to continue with their physical therapy (PT). This team worked with PT subject matter experts at the Hunter Holmes McGuire VAMC to gather feedback on their initial design and are now in the process of securing funding to create a functional prototype.
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