CHEO launches Eureka contest to improve access for kids

OTTAWA — Launching an innovative contest called Eureka, today CHEO is calling all inventors, brainiacs, smarty-pants, wannabe-dragons and out-of-the-box thinkers to help with two of our biggest problems. Maybe you’re a disruptor who can make health care better. Maybe your experiences outside of health care can be applied to help kids get faster access at CHEO. Maybe you’re a regular visitor to CHEO and have seen something small here that can make a big impact.

CHEO is launching the Eureka contest to help improve the following two challenges:

1. almost half the visits to CHEO's Emergency Department are not emergencies
• the number of visits is steadily increasing with each passing year
• non-emergency visits can be treated in other venues
2. CHEO has more than 11,000 kids on waiting lists for our specialized pediatric and surgical clinics
• only 55% of kids on our clinic waiting lists are seen within an acceptable period of time
• more than 25% of clinic appointments are rescheduled, but we are usually notified too late to give that spot to someone else and reduce our waiting lists

“Every day CHEO doctors, nurses, staff and volunteers think of better ways to support children, youth, families and each other – it’s part of our culture of continuous improvement, along with government advocacy and partnering with patients and families,” said Mari Teitelbaum, CHEO’s Chief Innovation Officer. “But we know that more of the same is not enough.

“Edison didn’t make a bigger candle that lasted forever – he invented a lightbulb and harnessed the electricity to go with it,” added Teitelbaum. “What can we do on that scale? That’s what this contest is all about. Bold, fresh ideas.”

The Eureka contest is open to CHEO staff, physicians, children, youth and families — as well as to Ottawa’s super-smart broad community of problem-solvers with their wide range of skills.

“There are so many creative thinkers in the community. Matching those with ours is a truly exciting prospect. I can’t wait to see the proposals that come in,” said Teitelbaum.

Whether it’s building a new app, designing better spaces, creating a new service or inventing a new at-home technology, we’re keen to see how you can take us to the next level.

CHEO will support selected projects with:

• a one-time financial investment
• time and mentorship
• anything else required for success

If you’re having a Eureka moment, we want to hear from you.

Watch Henry, kid correspondent for CHEO News, report live on the launch of the Eureka contest

Find out more at cheo.on.ca/eureka.

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