WOONSOCKET, R.I. – Lyfebulb and CVS Kidney Care, a CVS Health company, announced that OmniLife was selected as the winner, and Kindness for Kidneys International received an honorable mention, at the 2022 Lyfebulb–CVS Kidney Care Innovation Challenge: Accelerating Innovations in Kidney Disease to Improve Health Equity and Outcomes.

“True equity means everyone has the opportunity to attain their full health potential,” said Dr. Jesse Roach, senior medical director, Health Equity at CVS Kidney Care. “We applaud OmniLife, Kindness for Kidneys and the other challenge finalists for their efforts to address barriers to care that make preventing and managing kidney disease difficult.”

OmniLife was represented by co-founder and CEO Dalton Shaull and will receive a $25,000 monetary award to further develop and deploy its end-to-end communication system that is built specifically to create a more connected and collaborative allotransplant ecosystem that works for everyone.

Additionally, the judges awarded Kindness for Kidneys International, represented by Founder and Executive Director Sharron Rouse, honorable mention for its dedication to educating, encouraging, and empowering kidney warriors and their families.

The 2022 Innovation Challenge took place in Austin, TX over two days on May 18-19. Before a panel of independent judges, each of the ten finalists pitched solutions for bringing equitable care to kidney disease patients. Finalists also had the opportunity to listen to keynotes from leaders in the kidney and health care space, as well as community health leaders in Austin, and take part in two small group learning sessions.

“The level of innovation presented by each finalist was impressive and inspiring, and we look forward to seeing their ventures grow and help to address the disparities that so often prevent access to care and negatively impact health outcomes for those in the CKD and ESRD community,” said Dr. Karin Hehenberger, founder and CEO of Lyfebulb. “As a person living with chronic kidney disease and having gone through a living donor kidney transplant, I was especially excited and encouraged by the potential impact these innovations will have on the patient community.”

To continue their commitment to patient entrepreneurship and to raising awareness about health inequities among those in the CKD and ESRD community, Lyfebulb and CVS Kidney Care will be hosting a Fireside Chat with Dalton Shaull and Sharron Rouse, jury member Jennifer Miller of CVS Kidney Care, and key opinion leader, Jesse Roach, MD, of CVS Kidney Care, on Wednesday, June 1 at 4 p.m. EST. This virtual discussion is open to all community members, and more information can be found on Transplantlyfe.com/webinars.