What do you do when some of the best medical institutions in the world (in Philadelphia) can’t improve the lot of one of the unhealthiest populations in the country (ditto)?
You ask for help — and offer cash as an incentive.
It has worked with thorny problems before, from how to navigate the ocean (the British Parliament’s Longitude Act of 1714 offered cash prizes) to sending a privately financed rocket into space (a $10 million X Prize).
On Wednesday, Independence Blue Cross will announce the latest challenge: It will offer $50,000 plus mentoring from innovation experts for up to three “software applications, devices, products, education programs, or public awareness campaigns that can deliver a positive impact on our region’s health, with special emphasis on driving healthy behaviors such as eating right and getting fit.”
Pretty much anyone who is over 17 and works or lives in the five-county region is eligible. The deadline is July 10.
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