ThriveLink Founder Kwamane Liddell Wins the 2024 American Nurses Association Innovation Award
The ANA recognized ThriveLink for addressing the social determinants of health impacting marginalized communities — and changing how families access the resources they need.
We are proud to share that ThriveLink founder and CEO Kwamane Liddell, JD, MHA, BSN, was named the winner of the 2024 American Nurses Association Innovation Award — one of the most distinguished honors in nursing and healthcare innovation.
The ANA Innovation Award, sponsored by Stryker, recognizes nurse innovators whose work improves patient safety and health outcomes within their communities. Kwamane was recognized for building ThriveLink into a platform that bridges the gap between individuals and the essential social programs that are too often underutilized — not because people don't need them, but because the paperwork, language barriers, and literacy requirements make them nearly impossible to access.
Today, ThriveLink empowers families to enroll in programs covering utility assistance, food benefits, health insurance, rental and mortgage assistance, healthcare programs, and more — simply by speaking. No forms. No computer. No reading required.
The recognition reflects something Kwamane has believed since his days as a trauma nurse: the social determinants of health — what people eat, where they live, whether they can afford their medications — account for far more of a patient's health outcome than the clinical care they receive. ThriveLink was built to change that.
"The superpower I gained from being a nurse is learning how to help the world in the way you want to," Kwamane said. "I think we have a tool that can expand beyond our imagination."
ThriveLink has secured contracts with health plans responsible for the care of over 180,000 patients, (update millions of patients) and is working toward its goal of connecting families to $1 billion in resources by 2028.
