Lush mangrove tree forests, pristine white-sand beaches, and the occasional sloth hanging from a tree bough—these are sites of the Archipelago of Bocas del Toro. On the Northwest coast of Panama lies Bocas Del Toro, a province made of scattered islands teeming with exotic wildlife. Yet, life in Bocas for indigenous populations can be a cruel reality rather than a Caribbean paradise. Malnutrition impedes child growth, fungal infections like Tinea are widely prevalent, and parasitic worms remain a constant enemy. Despite the high burden of disease and health issues, access to physicians is limited in these remote villages. It can take months, even years before a patient can see a doctor. Floating Doctors (FD), a medical organization, answers the call for help by traveling on cayucos (canoes) from island to island to deliver life-saving healthcare to communities in Bocas.

Earlier this year, Frontida Records entered the USC Jimmy Iovine and Andre Young Academy Development Prize Pitch Competition. We’re extremely proud to announce that our organization has been awarded the 2021 Social Impact Prize!

A summary of our organization's experiences in regard to our participation in the Blackstone Techstars Launchpad Fellowship.

To say the least, 2020 has been a challenging year filled with ups and downs. For healthcare professionals and frontline-responders especially, this year was unlike any other in recent history. The devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic for medical professionals and underserved populations alike, meant that many healthcare organizations such as our own were created with the purpose of finding innovative solutions to one of the most pressing challenges of our lifetime.

Last year, our team traveled twice to Camp Moria, Europe’s largest refugee camp, located on the island of Lesbos, Greece. Holding upwards of 13,000 refugees, the camp was terribly overcrowded, with residents living in poor conditions.

After 4 weeks of our participation in the BlackstoneTechstars #LaunchPadFellowship, we wanted to provide an update to share the progress of how this incredible program has helped us develop as an organization.