The builder's path
For: People heading to the St. John's ER can't see how long they will wait.
“Some things are under our control, while others are not under our control.”
Routes to a solution
Each route is a different kind of journey, with real people and organisations to contact at each step, starting with those in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Step 1
Join an impact incubator
Shape a model that pays for itself without excluding the people who need it.
Newfoundland and Labrador's startup incubator: programmes, mentors and community.
Startup loans and mentoring for founders aged 18 to 39.
Volunteer data scientists working with social-sector organisations.
Accelerator for tech nonprofits.
Step 2
Raise patient capital
Impact funds and fellowships for enterprises serving low-income communities.
Funds bold ideas in global health and humanitarian work.
Volunteer data scientists working with social-sector organisations.
Accelerator for tech nonprofits.
Patient capital and fellowships for enterprises serving low-income communities.
Ideas, sources and tools for this problem, from first interviews to funding.
the published wait figures by triage level for one week in October 2024
details of the new HSC emergency department
a national indicator with provincial figures to compare against
the advice line people can call before deciding to go to the ER
They run the HSC ER and hold the wait data that is not published live.
Represents physicians, including ER doctors, and speaks publicly about wait times.
Triage nurses see who leaves without being seen and why.
Starter prompt
Built from this problem's brief. Paste it into Claude or any AI assistant.
Help me design and build a first working prototype for this problem in St. John's. Problem: People heading to the St. John's ER can't see how long they will wait. Who it hurts: Emergency patients on the Avalon going to the Health Sciences Centre ER. The moment it hurts: Waits run for hours, and a growing share of patients leave without being seen. Why it is still unsolved: The province publishes no live wait data. What solved looks like: A patient can see the current expected wait at the HSC ER before they leave home. Where: St. John's First, list what you would need to learn from the people affected before building, as interview questions. Then propose the simplest version that would help, the screens or messages it needs, and the data it would use. Keep it cheap to run, accessible, and respectful of people's privacy. Flag anything you are unsure about instead of guessing.
Talk to the people who live it before you build.
“In the fields of observation chance favours only the prepared mind.”
Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits préparés.
Get a working version in front of people fast.
Using AI is not cheating. Every tool carries the work of the people who made it, and using it well is how knowledge has always moved forward. The thinking, the care for the people who live the problem, and the judgement are still yours.
“The Analytical Engine weaves algebraical patterns just as the Jacquard-loom weaves flowers and leaves.”
Open data that fits this problem.
“When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it: this is knowledge.”
Tools matched to what this problem needs.
“Life is short, and Art long; the crisis fleeting; experience perilous, and decision difficult.”
ὁ βίος βραχύς, ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρή
Ship it responsibly, and find help and funding.
“Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth.”
δός μοι πᾶ στῶ καὶ τὰν γᾶν κινάσω
Kit written for this problem from its brief; every link was checked. Links go to each provider's own site. Zetema is not paid for any listing.