Samsung and the Children’s Health Fund Announce a Partnership to Expand Access to Quality Healthcare for Children Across the United States at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

Samsung and the Children’s Health Fund Announce a Partnership to Expand Access to Quality Healthcare for Children Across the United States at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

Two Year, $2 Million Grant, in Collaboration with Faculty at Columbia University, to Improve Pediatric Care through the Samsung Innovation Center at the Children’s Health Fund

Samsung, the Children’s Health Fund (CHF) and faculty members from Columbia University announced this week a two year partnership to develop the Samsung Innovation Center at the Children’s Health Fund, dedicated to advancing access to, and quality of, healthcare for medically underserved children across the United States. The collaboration will remove barriers to care, develop pilot programs and improve communications among providers, specialists, care centers and parents through telehealth and other strategies.

▲ Dr. Irwin Redlener of Children’s Health Fund, Dr. David Steel of Samsung Electronics North America and Dr. Charles Basch of Columbia University announce the Samsung Innovation Center at the Children’s Health Fund on stage at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting with President Bill Clinton

“An estimated 60 million Americans live in areas where there is less than one doctor for every 3,500 people, and healthcare access continues to be a barrier for the 20 percent of America’s children who live in poverty,” said Dr. Irwin Redlener, the president and co-founder of Children’s Health Fund. “While technology has already helped revolutionize the healthcare industry at large, there is still a long way to go. However, I am confident that the Samsung Innovation Center at the Children’s Health Fund will help chart a new path forward in demonstrating how technology can make quality health care available to many underserved children throughout the U.S.”

The Center will be an innovation hub for reducing medical care disparities and exploring the bounds of pediatric support in the United States. This partnership between Samsung, the Children’s Health Fund and faculty members at Columbia University will set out to envision new approaches for mobile-based care delivery, prototype new technology applications in medical settings and disseminate solutions through bi-annual white papers, peer-reviewed articles, online trainings and government briefings. Samsung’s state-of-the-art technology will also be deployed in more than 40 CHF mobile clinics nationwide that will offer a range of services from real-time access to immunization registries, to virtual primary care and specialty visits.

“At Samsung, we have been helping children across the United States lead healthier lives for more than a decade by supporting deserving charities, hospitals and schools,” said Dr. David Steel, executive vice president at Samsung Electronics North America. “By collaborating with Children’s Health Fund and faculty members at Columbia University, we hope to improve the lives of children by reducing barriers to care and enhancing pediatric support in underserved communities.”

This groundbreaking collaboration was announced at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York, where world leaders rethink the challenges of today to prepare for the future of tomorrow.

The Center will open later this fall at CHF’s New York City office, and the first white paper from the Center – on how mobile medicine improves access to healthcare for disadvantaged children – will be released in the first quarter of 2015.

The partnership is part of Samsung’s Hope for Children initiative which supports children across the country to live healthier lives.