TEDCO Announces RUBRIC Grants

TEDCO, https://www.tedcomd.com, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies announced that their Rural and Underserved Business Recovery from Impact of COVID-19 (RUBRIC) program has awarded 45 grants to Maryland companies as part of a $5 million economic relief package from the Governor.

RUBRIC was created as an economic relief initiative designed to benefit socially and economically disadvantaged and rural early stage technology-based businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The funds administered by TEDCO will be provided to early stage companies impacted by the current crisis and in need of bridge funding to survive. As TEDCO’s CEO and Executive Director, Troy LeMaile-Stovall said, “It was important for us to target companies that were considered socially or economically disadvantaged as well as the companies in rural areas of Maryland that were hardest hit by COVID-19.

One company that received grant funding under the RUBRIC program, was MedApptic located in Germantown Maryland. Cheryl Lohman MD CEO, Inventor and Founder of MedApptic http://www.medapptic.com, noticed that there was a significant time lapse between patients’ requests for as needed pain medications and the time before the medications were administered by a nurse.

To add to the problem, certain medications such as those needed for Parkinson’s disease require administration more often than the current timeframes allowed by JCAHO. This has meant that some patients don’t receive medications according to optimal timing for their conditions. Hospitalized patients are often capable of deciding when they need medication and often can successfully self-administer them.

After treating hospitalized patients, Dr. Lohman, came to the rescue and developed QuickMeds for MedApptic. The electronic medication dispenser system is a personalized medication system intended for use in hospital settings. Blending digital technology with the complexities and organizational behaviors of the healthcare system enables patients to develop self-administer capabilities for as needed pain medications.

Dr. Lohman reports that the hospital staff  is kept informed about all medication intake thereby reducing the risk of unsafe dosages and dangerous drug interactions. The personalized medication dispenser reduces interruptions for nursing staff and saves hospital money by improving staff efficiency and medication dispensing.