Nonprofit

CentriCycle

Grand Rapids, MI | centricycle.org/

About Us

Healthcare should not be stationary

Our Idea

The Problem:

Sometimes, we take for granted our ability to go to the hospital to be diagnosed and treated. Unfortunately, for many people in the developing world, healthcare is a luxury. Over 300 million people across India lack access to healthcare, live in rural areas, and are afflicted by diseases that are easily diagnosable with modern technology.

In much of rural India, access to healthcare is often limited to a small mobile clinic that travels to villages once a month equipped only with a stethoscope. If a patient is suspected to be sick, a blood sample must be collected, returned to the main lab over 30 km away, analyzed, and returned to the village in the hopes of reaching the patient in time. Often, deaths attributed to diseases such as anemia, diabetes, and hepatitis could have been prevented had proper diagnostic capabilities been available.

This scenario is widespread across rural India. Of India’s 1.2 billion people:

  • 300 million have anemia,
  • 192 million have diabetes
  • 100 million have malaria
  • 100 million have hepatitis
  • 50 million have dengue fever
  • 2 million have HIV.

Only one-third of those suffering have access to local clinic or hospital. Meaning diagnoses, let alone treatment, are difficult for millions of people due to a large healthcare disparity in India.

Our Mission:

Starting with populations in rural India, CentriCycle aims to reduce the number of preventable deaths by creating innovative, intuitive medical devices adapted to rural settings that lack major infrastructures. Created through a research and development pipeline, our first device is a manual centrifuge. The centrifuge and our future devices will increase the number of diagnoses, followed by viable treatments and education, therein reducing deaths by preventable, treatable causes.

Our Vision:

We believe healthcare should be able to reach those who need it most. By 2020, on-site diagnoses will be widespread across India’s rural areas. Healthcare should not be stationary.

Our Solution:

Our solution is to expand the capability of an already existing system so that technicians who travel out to these rural villages can provide an on-the-spot diagnosis and thereby treat their patients more quickly and effectively. We will do this by providing a sustainable, portable medical centrifuge that runs without electricity. This will transform diagnostic capability from a stationary luxury to a mobile, versatile tool. As we continue to develop and refine our product, we will add necessary components such as test strips and health education materials to supply a comprehensive, diagnostic package for community health workers.

Our idea is simple but life-changing for employees, volunteers and beneficiaries. If you would like to join us, please contact us at contact@centricycle.org.

When someone dies it is a tragedy, but when someone dies from a treatable, preventable cause, it is an injustice. Together we can prevent this injustice and bring healthcare to rural India.

Healthcare should not be stationary

Our Idea

The Problem:

Sometimes, we take for granted our ability to go to the hospital to be diagnosed and treated. Unfortunately, for many people in the developing world, healthcare is a luxury. Over 300…

Issue Areas Include

Location

  • Grand Rapids, MI, United States
Illustration

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