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Sixth Cohort Application Deadline: 

10/08/2025 23:59  

Sixth Cohort Application Deadline: 10/08/2025 23:59

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Funded Projects

Wellness Tie: Equitable Healthcare for Seniors and Single Mothers via Community Health Worker

Providing health assessments and follow-up care to older adults and single parents through training of low-income families to become community health workers.

Beneficiaries:
  • Elderly, Low-income family
Service Types:
  • Health & Wellbeing

Social Problem

  • Limited Access to Chronic Disease Care: Approximately 1.8 million Hong Kong residents live with chronic diseases (e.g., diabetes, hypertension), but only 10% seek follow-up care due to a shortage of community-based health services, especially in deprived areas.
  • High Unemployment in Low-income Settings: 39.4% of the SDU residents (over 62,000) are unemployed, at the same time4% of 72,279 single parents are not involved in regular employment, highlighting a significant employment gap.
  • Ineligibility for Existing Programs: Around 57.3% of single parents in SDUs/Basic Housing Units have unattended chronic conditions (e.g., hypertension, prediabetes), but many, particularly those aged 30-49, are ineligible for schemes like the Chronic Disease Co-Care Pilot Scheme due to age restrictions.
  • Manpower Shortage in NGOs/DHCs: 30% of attendants at District Health Centres (DHCs) under 45 are ineligible for further care, and NGOs and DHCs face a manpower shortage for follow-up care, compromising care continuity.

Social Innovation

  • Medical Task-Shifting System: Training Community Health Workers (CHWs) to provide personalized, cost-effective follow-up care, reducing the burden on healthcare systems.
  • Employment for Vulnerable Groups: Customized 80-hour training programs certify young-olds and single parents as CHWs, addressing unemployment and cultivating a group of CHWs serving as advocates within the community.
  • Commercial Scalability: Transitioning from a non-profit prototype to a commercial model within two years, the project aims to establish CHWs as a recognized occupation to achieve the impact of increasing healthcare accessibility.

Expected Social Impact

  • 100 trainees from low-income families (including 20 older adults and single parents) completed the CHW training
  • 1500 hours of health screenings and follow up care provided by CHWs trained by this project
  • 500 older adults and single parents from low-income families received Health Need Assessment (HNA) from CHWs
  • 250 personalised lifestyle modification plan provided by the CHWs with the support of the professional healthcare team; 250 beneficiaries receiving 3-month follow-up care by CHWs

Business Model

Project Content

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Wellness Tie