A call-to-action from Myant to work together on a connected care solution addressing the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations
TORONTO, March 23, 2020 – In times of crisis, we as a society rely on our sense of collectivism and compassion for our fellow humans in order to survive and thrive. The COVID-19 pandemic, should be no different. Communities will have to come together--metaphorically, of course--to help protect and care for those most at risk in our society. This coming together takes shape in many ways like extended families checking on loved ones to make sure everyone is cared for, or neighbors volunteering to get groceries for the isolated elders living across the street.
This same sense of collectivism and collaboration should hold true in the business community as well. Both the Canadian federal government and Ontario provincial government have called on industry to throw their collective efforts towards the fight against COVID-19. All enterprises, be they large national entities, emerging start-ups, or small local businesses, need to be connecting and working together in this moment of crisis to look out for our collective welfare. We at Myant believe that it is part of our responsibility to be collaborating with other enterprises, working together to address the immediate and long-term impact of COVID-19 on society.
We at Myant believe that it is part of our responsibility to be collaborating with other enterprises, working together to address the immediate and long-term impact of COVID-19 on society.
Myant is a technology, healthcare, and textile company based out of Toronto that is uniquely addressing some of the most pressing telehealth and connected care challenges arising from the COVID-19 situation via clothing that connects the human body to the cloud, to AI, to care-providers, and to loved ones. While our solution (marketed under the brand name Skiin) has the potential to address many of these challenges, we aim to maximize our impact by calling on potential partners to come forward in the spirit of collaboration and collectivism. Our goal is to present a unified proposal to the Federal and Provincial Ministries of Health that addresses the challenges facing the families, communities, and healthcare providers struggling to deal with COVID-19. This proposal will involve our connected care solution in collaboration with healthcare providers, AI and telemedicine companies, data security and platform solution providers, distributors/retailers, and others all working together to deliver a solution for Canadians facing uncertainty about their health in this time of crisis.
How is Myant Addressing the Most Immediate Needs Arising from COVID-19?
In these times of crisis, people are trying to maintain a balance between taking the extraordinary measures needed to stop the spread of COVID-19 and managing their daily lives. While social distancing--one of the primary countermeasures being recommended by governments and health officials--is undoubtedly a necessary tool to help control the spread of COVID-19, a number of needs arise as a result of social distancing. Chief among the needs are:
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Enabling remote triaging of potential COVID-19 cases, minimizing risk to front-line healthcare providers
As community transmission becomes more prevalent, the demand on the healthcare system to triage potential new cases of COVID-19 will rapidly outpace the ability to screen patients. Moreover, people who are practicing social distancing may be reluctant to go seek medical attention even when presenting with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. By enabling patients to be remotely triaged on a continuous basis (via machine learning applied to biometrics captured by Skiin garments) or on demand (by remote healthcare professionals who can quickly assess an existing baseline of biometrics captured by Skiin), Myant hopes to help the healthcare system keep up with the demand for COVID-19 screening. Myant has already agreed in principle to partner with Bayshore Healthcare to leverage their team of professional care providers on this initiative. A similar agreement has been reached to work with Telehealth Ontario. By creating a better connection between those who need to be assessed and care providers, we hope to minimize the number of people physically congregating at care centers and reducing risk to front-line healthcare providers.
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Enabling virtual monitoring of COVID-19 patients through symptom monitoring and communication with health providers
Virtual monitoring of COVID-19 patients will allow for continuous connection to those in isolation with the ability to identify declines in health and intervene immediately. The combination of automated symptom monitoring through Skiin (Myant's line of connected clothing), patient reported outcomes and connection to providers via communication tools enables this robust system of care in the community, Additionally, the solution will provide a wealth of data that will support triaging and best practices in care.
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Enabling virtual monitoring of vulnerable patients with acute and chronic conditions through symptom monitoring and communication with health providers
Those with existing health conditions that require active management by healthcare professionals may be at risk due to social distancing. Myant’s combination of continuous health monitoring and telemedicine capabilities allow patients who are managing existing health conditions (e.g. cardiovascular disease) to share their health and wellness information (e.g. ECG data, activity tracking data, etc.) with care providers via integrations with new and existing telemedicine applications. By enabling a more deeply connected care solution, Myant hopes to ensure that those who need to communicate their need for care can access care while still practicing social distancing.
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Combating social isolation for vulnerable populations, maintaining mental and physical well-being
One unintended consequence of social distancing is that people who live alone, particularly elderly people who otherwise live independent lives, are now isolated from their loved ones and caregivers. This impacts not only the mental health of our elderly population but also has the potential to adversely affect their physical health. Family members and caregivers who once watched over and managed the health of elderly loved ones are now disconnected and restricted in their ability to provide care. Myant’s line of connected clothing (Skiin) provides both a direct connection to the human body as well as a social connection between the caregiver and the care receiver. With Skiin, we aim to provide the connectedness needed to ensure that our at-risk elderly population is safe and cared for.
A Call to Enterprises to Connect and Collaborate with Myant
While Myant sees the potential impact that our technology can provide to Canadians in this time of crisis, we cannot address this problem all on our own. We are looking for partners throughout the value chain to augment, enhance, and complement our proposed solution to the Federal and Provincial Ministries of Health. We are asking potential partners to come forward so that we can collectively build a solution that helps keep Canadians safe and healthy in these unprecedented times.
If your organization can provide any of the following types of expertise, technical solutions, or services, please reach out to us:
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Healthcare Providers
We are looking to engage with family physicians, community care providers, and others engaged on the front-line who are seeking safer, more efficient ways to remotely monitor and triage their patients (particularly the elderly).
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AI, Machine Learning & Telemedicine
Myant would like to engage AI, machine learning and data science experts to work with us to analyze the biometric data we are collecting to build better models for assessing symptoms related to COVID-19. We are also looking to engage with telemedicine solution providers to explore ways of enriching the connection they provide with biometric data collected from our textile-based interfaces. These efforts would complement the existing AI and telemedicine capabilities of the Myant Platform.
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Platform Scaling & Data Security
Myant would like to engage with enterprises who can help support the scaling up of the Myant Platform in order to support a larger user base. In particular, we are interested in engaging with enterprises with solutions related to encrypted transmission of personal health data, cloud computing, IoT systems, and platform integration.
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Distributors & Retailers
Myant has agreed in principle with a major Canadian retailer to assist in the distribution of our connected clothing to the population. We would like to engage with other distributors and/or retailers with a national presence who can support us.
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Medical Technology and Wearable Companies
Myant would be interested in engaging with other medical technology and wearables companies who could complement and integrate with our solution.
Myant has an 80,000 sqft production and storage facility in Toronto capable of manufacturing medical grade textiles. If your enterprise is working towards a solution addressing COVID-19, please reach out to us to see how we can help you.
We are open to possibilities and want to connect to figure out how we can tackle this crisis together. Please get in touch with us via the contacts below:
Frank Florio
VP, Strategy & Business Development at Myant
frank.florio@myant.ca, 416-819-5180
Ilaria Varoli
Executive Vice President at Myant
ilaria.varoli@myant.ca, 416-895-3991
Most sincerely,
Tony Chahine
Founder & CEO of Myant Inc.
About Myant Inc.
Myant has created the world’s first platform that continuously and ambiently connects people to their bodies, to each other, and to the world around them. Using connected textiles that can sense and react to the human body and a platform that enables machine learning driven health and performance outcomes, Myant is on a mission to transform human connectedness. With an extensive patent portfolio, key exclusive relationships within the textile computing industry, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, engineers, data scientists, fashion* designers and knitting specialists, and over 80,000 ft² of manufacturing capacity, Myant is changing the way people across society connect. Connect with us to find out how we can help you create innovative solutions powered by connected textiles and the Myant Platform.
Visit myant.ca to learn more.
