Baton Rouge Health District Awards Three Projects at the Inaugural Launchpad Innovation Pilot Awards
BATON ROUGE, LA (May 4, 2022) – The Baton Rouge Health-Tech Catalyst, a Baton Rouge Health District project funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship – Build to Scale Program, held its inaugural Launchpad Innovation Pilot Awards on Tuesday, May 3 at the C. B. Pennington Jr. Conference Center at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
A total of five finalists presented a range of ideas in a pitch-style competition, and three projects were selected for funding of $30,000 each (award winners listed below). While yesterday’s event was the inaugural pilot awards, another round of funding is tentatively planned for this fall.
● BRG Fit! Total Health and Wellbeing - Baton Rouge General, in partnership with EBR School System ● Increasing Endometrial Cancer Awareness and Cure for Louisiana Women - Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in partnership with Our Lady of the Lake Hospital, Woman's & LSU Health Science Center - New Orleans ● Palliative Care Program for Persons Living with Dementia - Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in partnership with Our Lady of the Lake Hospital
The goal of the Launchpad project is to promote and support collaboration between Health District member institutions, while sparking innovation between Baton Rouge Health District anchor institutions, technology and community innovators, and industry leaders. Awards will provide up to $30,000 for Health District member institution investigators, providers, and employees.
“With the generous support of the EDA and in conjunction with our partners at BRAC and Pennington, we are excited to offer this opportunity for our Baton Rouge Health District member institutions,” said Dr. Steven Ceulemans, Baton Rouge Health District Executive Director. “This initiative will create a launchpad to strengthen innovation, increase a culture of health, and make Baton Rouge a destination for healthcare at the heart of a healthy and vibrant community. We look forward to seeing their projects come to fruition in the coming months.”
With funding from the EDA – Build to Scale Program, the Baton Rouge Health District recently established the Baton Rogue Health-Tech Catalyst in collaboration with the Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) and Pennington Biomedical Research Center.
The Launchpad Innovation Pilot Awards support collaborative proposals for novel approaches to further the Health District priorities of:
● Healthy Place - to be a vibrant and accessible destination that promotes health living beyond the hospital walls.
● Health Education and Workforce - to be a center for advanced education, clinical practice, and workforce development in healthcare.
● Health Innovation and Research - provide a platform for innovation and research partnerships that improve health outcomes and contribute to care advancement through technology adoption and development.
● Healthcare Coalition - to be a model for resource coordination to facilitate patient-centric, value-driven care.
About the Baton Rouge Health District
The Baton Rouge Health District is a coalition of patient-focused, innovative healthcare organizations committed to the vision of a world-class, high performing health destination at the heart of a healthy and vibrant community. As a non-profit organization, the Health District promotes collaboration among healthcare providers, government officials, payors, higher education institutions and others to implement a master plan that will enhance healthcare and economic development in Baton Rouge.
Founding members of the Baton Rouge Health District include Baton Rouge Area Foundation, Baton Rouge General Medical Center, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, Ochsner Health Systems, Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University and Woman’s Hospital.
More information is available at http://brhealthdistrict.com.
