Health and Human Services

The state Office of Innovation and Department of Agriculture used tech to identify children eligible for the NJ Summer EBT Program. Statistical pattern finding found kids who hadn’t previously been enrolled.

A school district in Maryland is among among hundreds of districts and state officials seeking hundreds of millions of dollars in compensatory damages for years of dealing with the harm caused by social media companies.

The state’s most populous county has launched a $30 million, voter-approved investment in child-care workers. Tech plays a central role in the process by enabling equitable cash distribution at scale.

The launch of this new tool also comes with new responsibilities for the state’s technology workforce. The benefits program could help some 1.3 million state residents.

A recent report by Common Sense Media says three quarters of teens have used AI companions, which are designed to be agreeable and validating. More than a third found them more "satisfying" than interacting with friends.

The data tool and interface, which was built in-house to flag crime and misuse, has saved the state millions and ensures benefits go to those in need. Created with federal funding, it recently earned a governor’s award.

North Carolina’s PATH NC platform will have features including AI-assisted tools. It will also digitally connect the state’s 100 counties for the first time in such a way, offering exponential change in case handling.

The St. Mary’s Food Bank is using GIS technology to get food to communities, an initiative that plays an increasingly important role as the federal government explores funding changes to benefits programs.

The state recently reached a rideshare milestone in its partnership with GoGoGrandparent, an on-demand transportation and delivery service platform designed to offer older adults greater independence at no cost.

The grant, which would have benefitted the Birmingham Biotechnology Hub, led by Southern Research, has been cancelled. The award followed its 2023 designation as one of 31 federal Tech Hubs, setting the stage for funding.

As the federal government’s approach to serving people with autism shifts under a new administration, states continue using technology to meet autistic people where they are, to provide support.

Cypress and Loara high schools in California hope that HALO smart sensors in bathrooms and locker rooms will help catch vaping students by sending instant alerts to school officials.

The county’s Office of Child Support Services has released tools designed to make it more accessible and easier for parents to use, and to get resources out faster. These include a new live chat and electronic signature.

At the University of Minnesota, medical school students have been using a virtual reality experience to understand the perspective of a woman dealing with the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s.

A law signed Wednesday by Gov. Kelly Armstrong looks to reform the “prior authorization” process for patients. It sets deadlines for that process to be made by a doctor, not AI or insurance companies.

In a five-year partnership with the biomedical research company Leidos Inc., the university will develop artificial intelligence-powered tools to diagnose and treat ailments such as heart disease and cancer.

The kiosks dispense health-related items for free, such as condoms, Narcan nasal spray, emergency blankets, tampons and pads, COVID-19 rapid antigen tests and other laboratory tests.

The library has added Visual Accessibility Kits and more specialized items to its collection, in an effort to make content more easily accessible to patrons with low vision or blindness. The kits can be checked out at its 20 branches.