Posted on November 12, 2010

Mobile Health Alliance Receives $3 Million in Grants

The Mobile Health Alliance (mHealth) has announced grants totaling $3 million from the Rockefeller Foundation, Hewlett-Packard and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation to leverage mobile technologies in improving health in low- and middle-income countries.

The grants were announced during the recent mHealth Summit, a three-day event that explored ways mobile technology can increase access to as well as the quality and efficiency of health care. Grant funds will support the core activities of the alliance, including its Health UnBound online community, which facilitates knowledge-sharing related to global health issues, and the Maternal mHealth Initiative.

The mHealth Alliance was launched in 2009 by the Rockefeller Foundation in partnership with the United Nations and Vodafone foundations. Partners who have signed on since then include the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the GSM Association, and HP.

"Innovations in mobile communications have unparalleled and perhaps limitless potential in overcoming persistent global health challenges," said Rockefeller Foundation president Judith Rodin. "But, these innovations will only succeed if we create the networks and partnerships that allow us to bring them to scale and unlock their full potential. We are proud to have helped found the mHealth Alliance, and...to support its continued leadership in mobilizing public/private partnerships aimed at delivering on the promise of mobile health."