Kidney Care and Health Equity:
Data-Driven Innovation to
Bridge Gaps to Care and Improve Equitable Access
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on kidney transplant recipients, dialysis patients, and approximately 37 million Americans with kidney disease who may be at elevated risk from the novel coronavirus. According to the CDC, having chronic kidney disease of any stage increases the risk of getting very sick from COVID-19. The novel coronavirus may also injure kidneys. Some healthy
adults with healthy kidneys prior to COVID-19 infection, experience a sudden
loss in kidney function. This pandemic has exposed and exacerbated health and
social inequities, including racial inequality. African Americans are almost
four times as likely as Whites to develop kidney failure and other minority populations at
high risk for kidney diseases.
Use government data
to build digital tools with, by, and for the people.
How can we transform
raw data into actionable insights and digital tools to bridge disparities of
health related to kidney care, including prevention and those exacerbated by
the COVID-19 pandemic, and to ensure equitable access and wellness for all?
Potential ideas for exploration
This challenge is intentionally broad. For example, potential
products might:
- Transform datasets into novel insights, decision support, digital tools, data visualizations, or other innovations to identify and bridge access to critical kidney care in the United States including but not limited to:
- Dialysis patients
- Individuals with kidney failure
- COVID-19 positive kidney patients
- Improve equitable access to supplies at dialysis facilities with respect to supply chain challenges and staffing shortages during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Address socioeconomic challenges and differences in equitable access to quality kidney care.
- Innovate solutions for kidney disease detection methods such as testing and education.
Curated datasets and resources
Government links
and information to help get started:
