Press Release – SINGAPORE, 23 April 2018 – IIX, a global leader in innovative finance, announces that it has received a grant to unlock new resources for women’s health and well-being in the United States through innovative finance. The first step is to conduct a feasibility study to create a Women’s Health Bond. The study will detect the gaps in services, financing, and health outcomes measurement through an evaluation of the women’s health landscape in the US and recognize strategic partnerships for outcome driven, inclusive and patient-centric health solutions. This grant is funded by the Medtronic Foundation, which focuses on expanding access to quality chronic disease care among underserved populations worldwide, as well as supporting health initiatives in communities where Medtronic employees live and give.
Women have the most contact with healthcare systems over their lifetime, as they not only hold the responsibility for their personal health but also their children and partners. The World Health Organization reports that poor health of a mother negatively impacts the health, nutrition, education and economic status of her children and the community, resulting in a welfare loss that may take decades to overcome. Furthermore, as populations age, women are assuming a greater proportion of the US population.
In addition to playing a crucial role in community health, women face gender-specific healthcare needs which are being increasingly revealed as today’s research and data become more inclusive of women. Historically, many medical studies and drug trials excluded women entirely or disregarded gender as a factor in health outcomes. Consequently, there remain large gaps in understanding the gender-specific healthcare needs of this population and a lack of dedicated resources for women’s health.
“The Women’s Health Bond is about much more than unlocking funding for the health and well-being of women. It is a nationwide and worldwide recognition that women’s health matters and should be valued for what it is—the backbone of the health of our communities” expressed Founder of IIX and IIX Foundation, Durreen Shahnaz. “It is an absolute pleasure to announce that we will be beginning this journey with funding from the Medtronic Foundation. With their leadership in supporting the health of underserved communities and our expertise in innovative financial solutions, I am confident that we will move the needle for women’s health in the US.”
The Women’s Health Bond aims to be a US$100M bond that will monitor both improved health outcomes and financial performance over its lifetime. A task force of leading health, finance, and academic executives are convening in New York City this month to share knowledge and drive the progress of this initiative.
About IIX: IIX (Impact Investment Exchange) is a Singapore-based impact enterprise that builds pathways to connect backstreets of underserved communities to the Wall Streets of the world through innovative finance. IIX investment platforms and innovative financial products enable impact enterprises to accelerate their business and scale their positive impact while pushing the impact investing space from the margins to the mainstream. To date, the work of IIX has spanned 40 countries and continues to expand with the mission of unlocking US$1 billion of impact investment capital, impacting 100 million lives by 2022.
