Clinic in a Can

Social innovation is “a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable, or just than current solutions” (3). It is an innovation that benefits the public as a whole (3). One of the issues related to our topic of vaccine preventable diseases is the fact that there are not enough clean facilities and equipment for people in third world countries. For that reason, many people in developing countries go without health care simply because they do not have access to it (2). On average, full immunization coverage in a household only reaches 66% in the lowest quintile of households versus 38.5% in the poorest quintile (2). That means that only at best 2 in 3 children are fully immunized and at worst 1 in 3 are. One of the largest reasons for this is the lack of access to clean medical clinics, especially in geographically isolated areas or poor areas. To receive medical supplies, they may have to walk miles to reach a clinic. To change that, Clinic in a Can, a company developed to provide pop-up medical clinics in developing countries was made.

The idea for Clinic in a Can came from witnessing many people in developing countries having to walk, drive, and carry their family and friends in a wheelbarrow to reach the nearest medical clinic. At times, these clinics would be up to ten miles away over various geographic boundaries. Many died on their journey to receiving health care. When many got there, the facilities were often not clean nor safe and they often lacked anything beyond basic medical supplies. In America, the supplies that clinics in developing countries could potentially equate to a small medical kit here.

Clinic in a Can is intended to mobilize medicine and bring the resources to the patients. Clinic in a Can comes in three models: premium, economy, and isolation (1). The economy model is 20 feet long and features state of the art medical equipment in a fully climate controlled environment (1). Each “can” is customizable and energy efficient in all its building materials and technology. This would solve the issue of going to unsafe and unclean medical facilities. Also, these cans are mobile. They can be loaded up easily like a trailer and moved to different areas. This will enable more people to be able to access it. Clinic in a Can is an innovative social solution to improve the vaccination of preventable diseases.

References:

1. Clinic in a Can. (2017). Home. Retrieved April 25, 2017, from http://www.clinicinacan.org/#about

2. O'Donnell, O. (2007). Access to health care in developing countries: breaking down demand side barriers. Cadernos de Saúde Pública, 23(12), 2820-2834. doi:10.1590/s0102- 311x2007001200003

3. Stanford GraduateSchool of Business. (2017). Defining Social Innovation. Retrieved April 25, 2017, from https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/faculty-research/centers-initiatives/csi/defining- social-innovation