Arkansas Children’s Innovation Center Announces New Healthcare Technology Hackathon

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — November 22, 2021 — Arkansas Children’s Innovation Center, in partnership with Arkansas entrepreneurial support organizations, will present a 48-hour digital health challenge featuring a $10,000 cash prize. The event, known as a hackathon, will be held from January 21st through January 23rd, 2022 and applications for participation are now open.

“Arkansas Children’s is committed to improving child health through innovation,” said Rick Barr, MD, MBA, chief clinical and academic officer for Arkansas Children’s. “This type of event creates an exciting challenge for software developers across the state to build solutions that will positively impact pediatric healthcare.”

The event is a collaborative effort with Arkansas Children’s, Cartwheel Startup Studio, Startup Junkie Consulting, HealthTech Arkansas and the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas. Participants in the competition will work alongside Arkansas Children’s clinicians and administrators to solve real-world pediatric healthcare problems.

“The differentiating factor for our hackathon participants is they’re working on validated user problems and they have the interest of Arkansas Children’s to pilot the solutions that are built,” said Joshua Stanley, Managing Partner at Cartwheel Startup Studio. “That’s a big advantage for participants, and it’s why our organization is excited to partner with Arkansas Children’s in this project.”

The digital health hackathon supports Arkansas Children’s mission to improve the health and well-being of children in Arkansas and beyond. “The Arkansas Children’s Innovation Center has taken a comprehensive approach to building a culture of innovation, and this collaborative hackathon is a tangible example of how we’re utilizing the strengths of entrepreneurial services organizations in the state to help us meet our

innovation goals,” said Barry Brady, Chief Operating Officer of Arkansas Children’s Research Institute.

Applications for participation are now open. Interested parties can apply either as an individual or as part of a team. The application deadline is midnight, December 31, 2021. Learn more at https://www.healthtecharkansas.com/.

ABOUT ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S

Arkansas Children's, Inc. is the only healthcare system in the state solely dedicated to caring for Arkansas' more than 700,000 children. The private, non-profit organization includes two pediatric hospitals, a pediatric research institute and USDA nutrition center, a philanthropic foundation, a nursery alliance, statewide clinics, and many education and outreach programs — all focused on fulfilling a promise to define and deliver unprecedented child health. Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) is a 336-bed, Magnet-recognized facility in Little Rock operating the state’s only Level I pediatric trauma center; the state's only burn center; the state's only Level IV neonatal intensive care unit; the state's only pediatric intensive care unit; the state’s only pediatric surgery program with Level 1 verification from the American College of Surgeons (ACS); the state’s only magnetoencephalography (MEG) system for neurosurgical planning and cutting-edge research; and the state's only nationally recognized pediatric transport program. Additionally, ACH is nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report in four pediatric subspecialties (2020—2021): Cardiology & Heart Surgery, Nephrology, Pulmonology and Urology. ACH is one of only five hospitals in the nation that have achieved Magnet Status, ACS Level 1 verification and a Beacon award from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses. Arkansas Children’s Northwest (ACNW), the first and only pediatric hospital in the Northwest Arkansas region, opened in Springdale in early 2018. ACNW operates a 24-bed inpatient unit; a surgical unit with five operating rooms; outpatient clinics offering over 20 subspecialties; diagnostic services; imaging capabilities; occupational therapy services; and Northwest Arkansas' only pediatric emergency department, equipped with 30 exam rooms. Generous philanthropic and volunteer engagement has sustained Arkansas Children's since it began as an orphanage in 1912, and today ensures the system can deliver on its promise of unprecedented child health. To learn more, visit archildrens.org.