What is the name of your organization?
Salveo Innovations
What is the name of your solution?
Tyrone - mHealth application
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Tyrone: culturally sensitive mHealth app aiding patients in accessing critical health info during care, think Google translate for health literacy.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Washington, DC, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
United States
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
The social impact problem we tackle through our solution is health literacy. In the United States, 9 out of 10 adults struggle to understand and use personal or public health information when it’s filled with unfamiliar terms, limiting their ability to make everyday healthcare decisions. Globally, over 700 million adults face similar barriers due to illiteracy, impacting personal, family, and community health outcomes. The COVID-19 pandemic further exposed this critical, long-underestimated public health issue.
Health literacy is now recognized as a key social determinant of health and a central focus of Healthy People 2030, a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services initiative. Low health literacy and poor provider-patient communication result in over 1 million preventable hospital visits/readmissions and $25 billion in avoidable Medicare spending annually. The broader economic cost to the U.S. economy is estimated between $106 billion and $238 billion per year.
This challenge disproportionately affects vulnerable communities and demands culturally responsive, shame-free solutions. By integrating technology, community-driven feedback, and evidence-based literacy strategies, we aim to eliminate access barriers and empower individuals to make informed health decisions. Addressing this issue is essential for improving global health outcomes and reducing systemic healthcare inefficiencies.
What is your solution?
Our core product, Tyrone, is a culturally responsive health app created with and for communities most affected by health inequities. It helps patients, especially those at high risk for ER visits or readmission, make better decisions in moments of critical need. When symptoms arise, users can open Tyrone to check what might be going on. Using AI and machine learning, the app analyzes symptoms, shares likely conditions, evaluates urgency, and suggests next steps—all in plain, easy-to-understand language.
Tyrone also helps users feel more prepared by offering a question-builder that guides them on what to ask during provider visits. With more use, Tyrone adapts and becomes more personalized and supportive. It can connect with patient portals to simplify messages, reminders, and post-care instructions, making guidance easier to follow.
We’re starting with a direct-to-consumer version so anyone can access it. Later versions will integrate with health systems to support patients through providers.
While communication barriers affect people across backgrounds, we focus on those most impacted by structural and systemic challenges. By designing with and for those at the margins, we create tools that benefit everyone. That’s the heart of Tyrone’s mission and impact.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Tyrone is built for the people we serve every day—our neighbors, our family members, and countless community members who often say, “I just don’t understand what my doctor is saying.” That gap in understanding has real consequences, leading to missed care, poor outcomes, and preventable readmissions.
We focus on African American adults and other marginalized communities who are disproportionately affected by low health literacy. While communication barriers exist across all backgrounds, the impact is greatest where structural inequities persist. Tyrone meets these communities where they are, with tech that translates complex health information into clear, actionable steps.
Our app was co-designed with residents of Southeast D.C., one of the most under-resourced areas in the country, through a human-centered design sprint funded by Johns Hopkins Medicine-Ward Infinity. We’ve continued testing in libraries, clinics, barbershops, and senior centers in New York, New Orleans, and rural Georgia, refining features based on real community feedback.
Tyrone combines culturally tailored content, plain-language guidance, and AI-driven support to help users navigate care with confidence. By designing at the margins, we’re not just solving for the few, we’re creating tools that uplift everyone.
