The spread of the coronavirus has forced healthcare to be seen from a new perspective. Doctors and nurses now preferably have minimal to no contact with patients, and tracking and tracing the virus through technology has become the most effective way to fight it. Because of the now-constant need for technology to be developed and utilized to help in the fight against COVID-19, Silicon Valley, notable for the many technology companies it houses, is fast becoming the frontline of modern healthcare. These are the reasons why.

Excellent startup support

Silicon Valley is world-renowned for its startup culture with the local government doing its bit to promote and grow the area’s startup culture. To help in starting a new business in California, the Secretary of State breaks the process down into five simple steps and also includes links to permits and licenses and other helpful information such as business structures and a tutorial on making a business plan. Yet, it isn’t just the government that startups can seek aid from. A guide to forming an LLC in California also notes how the state is well established within the business community, which means there are plenty of online resources available to new startups. And with many people now having a vested interest in furthering healthcare, many venture capitalists are looking to support and invest in healthcare-related startups and innovations.

A renewed focus on employee wellness

Employees are an integral part of why a company continues running, so it is important to take care of them. However, employer-sponsored healthcare in America is facing problems, which include rising pharmacy costs.

With such complications, positive disruptions in the healthcare system are needed to continue to provide for the employees’ health needs. Some of these disruptors include innovators from Silicon Valley who are pioneering employee wellness programs. Employee data is also being used to create better plans to help with their health and productivity. These plans go outside the clinic and also include Telehealth and job site clinics to help reach the employees despite their location.

Increased awareness of its role

At the start of the pandemic, Silicon Valley companies offered help by donating both cash and medical supplies to hospitals in Santa Clara County.

Now, months into the pandemic, new products and services are being developed to more efficiently check someone’s health. Customers’ health is now more known to themselves as well because of innovations such as wearables. Silicon Valley’s Innovation Center has opened itself with an immersion program where healthcare professionals will be able to interact with leading health-tech companies and learn trends in the health-tech industry. Through this program, the Center hopes that attendees will be inspired to develop their own innovations.

Cooperation

Despite the many companies, the cooperation culture in Silicon Valley is what sets the area apart from other tech hubs. These collaborations among companies have made it easier to exchange information. California has a ban on “non-compete agreements”. These agreements prohibit an employee from entering into a competing trade against the employer once the employment period is over. A ban on this means that employees can leave a company to experiment with their ideas, and this causes teamwork regarding helping one another to solve problems and leaves more room for innovation without negative competition. With cooperation crucial to developing new healthcare tech and medicines, the fact that this level of collaboration is enshrined in the area’s rules makes it hugely beneficial for health startups.

Silicon Valley is a hub of technological innovation, and though the number of existing successful companies in the place makes it seem intimidating, they are all interconnected. The possibility of endless ideas going around in the area makes Silicon Valley a very helpful source of new technology that can help modern healthcare.