Foxconn made headlines when it announced plans to build a $10 billion plant in Racine County, Wisconsin. Now, the Taiwanese tech giant has sights set on improving healthcare for the 13,000 employees who will work at the facility.
Foxconn announced a joint initiative with Advocate Aurora Health, which is a new company that resulted from a merger of Illinois-based Advocate Health Care with Milwaukee’s Aurora Health Care.
"Technology will play a critical role in the future of health and wellness," Nick Turkal, MD, Advocate Aurora Health president and CEO, said in a statement. "We are excited about what we can do together to benefit not only our patients and communities here locally, but how our combined capabilities could potentially have a positive impact on wellness globally."
Foxconn hopes to leverage predictive modeling and artificial intelligence to streamline preventative care and employee wellness programs. The company will work with Advocate Aurora to collect and analyze health data from the workers in Wisconsin.
Rick Klein, with Advocate Aurora Health, said that data can be used in support from its staff, clinics and hospitals.
"What's really different than what happens today is that somebody may have a Fitbit app or they may belong to a health club, or whatever it happens to be, but that information isn't organized at the same time that they need it when they go see the physician," Klein said, explaining what’s called a "smart city" concept
Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.