Target enters healthcare innovation fray
Another large retail chain is furthering its healthcare efforts. Target has unveiled the Simplicity Challenge, a nationwide search for innovative ideas to simplify healthcare.
The Target Simplicity Challenge seeks ideas in two categories: helping people make positive lifestyle and prevention choices, and helping people live well with a chronic condition.
Target welcomes submissions from individuals with expertise across the industry, as well as students, innovators, designers and entrepreneurs invested in improving healthcare. Entrants can submit their ideas until Oct. 24 to the official challenge website, www.TargetSimplicityChallenge.com. The public can view the ideas submitted on the Challenge website and vote for their favorite.
“The Target Simplicity Challenge is designed to give visibility to those seemingly small, simple ideas that can have a big impact,” José Barra, Target's senior vice president of health and beauty, said in a release.
Once the submission period has closed on Oct. 24, a panel of Target executives will choose eight finalists—four from each category—based on a combined score of originality, creativity and compelling nature for Target and healthcare. From the finalist group, two grand prize winners will be selected by a panel of industry expert judges.
The creators of the winning ideas will receive $25,000 apiece, their own Target-branded flip camera and a chance to partner with Target to develop the concepts. Winners will be announced by January 2014.
Editor
Editor Beth earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and master’s in health communication. She has worked in hospital, academic and publishing settings over the past 20 years. Beth joined TriMed in 2005, as editor of CMIO and Clinical Innovation + Technology. When not covering all things related to health IT, she spends time with her husband and three children.