March 20, 2020, Portland, ME
On Friday, March 20, Mainers came together (remotely) to innovate and help change the course of COVID-19 in the state. The result was beyond what any single individual could have built on their own. In just 7 days, 65 individuals signed up for Flatten the Curve: Hacking COVID-19. Developers, business analysts, UI/UX designers, government officials and public health professionals joined in to brainstorm different product ideas that could have a high impact on flattening the curve of COVID-19.
Here’s What Hack #1 Produced With a special guest appearance by Senator Angus King, the day started with a medical update from MyHealthMath’s Chief Mission Officer and Medical Director, Elizabeth Coté, MD, MPA. Dr. Coté provided participants with a call to action to mobilize resources, and an emphasis on the imperative of acting now to save lives. The majority of the day was centered around individual team hacks where groups of 6-8 hackers joined together to collaborate around one of four pre-identified topics, all of which would contribute to flattening the curve in Maine: increasing adoption of social distancing, especially by asymptomatic 20-40 year old, developing a symptom tracker and self-triage system, creating a resource exchange, and developing a buddy system. In the end, six product ideas were generated, and participants left with momentum to participate in the next phase: a 2-week sprint to product launch.
Senator Angus King called the event “very informative and inspiring.” After proposing a hack, he and his wife Mary thought of to sustain small businesses he asked, “I just want to know how many of you all received a laptop in the seventh grade.” Referring to his gubernatorial campaign to furnish the next generation with computer skills.
Betsy Peters, Founder & Growth Advisor of Cambium Enterprises and an Adjunct Instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
wrote “This was the most inspiring work from home day I’ve had in a long time! The gathering of Maine tech talent produced actionable results and a commitment to change the course of this pandemic in Maine.”
What’s Next? This work isn’t done yet. Led by MyHealthMath’s Chief Technology Officer Dave Widener, the next step is a 2-week sprint that will result in the launch of one of the six products on Friday, April 3. Participants are self-identifying the roles they can fill so if you or someone you know wants to help, let us know and sign up here! We need scrum masters, business analysts, marketing and communications experts, developers, DevOps, and UI/UX designers to help us bring these product ideas to life.
For media inquiries contact Caitlin Forbes, MyHealthMath Marketing Director, cforbes@myhealthmath.com
This event is generously sponsored by MyHealthMath, The VIA Agency, SaviLinx, Cross Employee Benefits and StartUp Maine, all companies located in Maine and invested in generating innovative solutions to keep Mainers safe.
ABOUT MYHEALTHMATH (MHM)
MyHealthMath is an Insurtech firm enabling efficiency and savings for employers and their employees through the collective power of informed decisions. Combining innovative decision-support technology and human interaction, MyHealthMath reduces health insurance costs and optimizes the health insurance marketplace. Based in Portland, Maine, MyHealthMath has direct and SaaS clients throughout the US. As a neutral third-party, MyHealthMath guarantees objectivity and confidentiality for all individual use data collected from claim reports and individual interviews.
ABOUT THE VIA AGENCY
Helping clients grow through creativity since 1993, The VIA Agency is a full-service advertising and marketing agency located at the historic Baxter Library in Portland, Maine. VIA clients include: Lowe’s, L.L.Bean, Unilever (Klondike), Arm & Hammer, Perdue, and Golden Corral among others. They have been recognized as a Top 10 Place to Work by Ad Age, and in 2019, VIA was named a Best Workplace by Inc. and an Ad Age Small Agency of the Year (Gold). For more information, please visit www.TheVIAAgency.com.
ABOUT SAVILINX
SaviLinx is a business process and marketing services outsourcing provider that combines skilled professionals, industry knowledge and advanced technology to help our clients create profitable relationships with their customers. We provide Customer Retention, Customer Care, Back Office Support and Technical Support Services for the nation’s premier publishing, media, cable, telecommunications, financial services, e-commerce, and retail companies both in the US and around the world.
ABOUT CROSS EMPLOYEE BENEFITS
The Cross Employee Benefits Division has two goals: to meet the employee benefit needs of New England businesses and to serve as a conduit to the insurance industry for our business clients. Our six-point performance obligation outlines the standards to which we adhere. We believe our commitment to responsive benefit services builds a foundation for strong business partnerships and satisfying long-term results. It is through our exceptional services that we have become Maine’s largest Employee Benefits provider and represent more than 15,000 employee benefit clients throughout New England.
ABOUT STARTUP MAINE
Startup Maine is both an organization and a flagship conference held once per year that has evolved out of a group of doers, founders, and community members coming together in 2014. Maine has always been a place to have a great family life, and over the past decade, it has grown into a place to also do great work. World class organizations, talent, and leaders are emerging throughout the state as professionals and companies no longer need be tethered to large cities and central offices. Technology is democratizing access to resources, and a culture of entrepreneurship and innovation is taking hold.
*photo cred