Helium Shortages & Senior Healthcare: Top Stories This Week
The shortage of helium triggered by the recent Strait of Hormuz closure is exposing vulnerabilities within hospital operations and clinical service delivery that extend far beyond a disrupted gas market.
It is revealing how quickly healthcare facilities can shift from routine service provision to critical resource rationing when energy corridors and trade routes destabilise, forcing clinical leaders to make difficult decisions about diagnostic capacity and patient care pathways.
Iranian strikes on Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City, the world's single largest helium source, removed about 30% to 38% of global supply overnight. While the Strait is now open following the US-Iran ceasefire, transportation remains fragile and conflict still threatens the region.
Tiffany Zack has joined Baxter International as Director of Sustainability after spending 13 years with The Estée Lauder Companies, where she built extensive experience in embedding corporate sustainability into business operations.
At Baxter, she will work alongside Chief Sustainability Officer Renae Kezar, who assumed her position in June 2025.
An AI-native retirement platform has secured significant investment as it works to transform how American seniors access and understand Medicare coverage, highlighting growing investor confidence in healthcare technology solutions that serve older demographics.
Chapter has raised US$100m in Series E funding, with Generation Investment Management leading the round. New investors Fifth Down Capital and 8VC joined the investment, alongside existing backers Stripes, XYZ Venture Capital, Addition, Narya Capital, Susa Ventures and Maverick Ventures.
The funding arrives during a period of growth for the platform, which has more than doubled its valuation. The company's approach centres on addressing longstanding challenges in Medicare navigation, where complexity and opacity have historically created barriers for retirees seeking appropriate healthcare coverage.
“With 4.5 billion people currently without access to essential healthcare services and a health worker shortage of 11 million expected by 2030, AI has the potential to help bridge the gap and revolutionise global healthcare,” says the World Economic Forum.
The Johnson & Johnson Foundation is partnering with Google.Org, via a US$10m investment, to help rural health workers build practical AI skills in hopes to ease the burden.
J&J recognises that AI technologies have the potential to streamline administrative tasks and workflows, freeing up time for healthcare workers to focus on in-person care.
Implementation can be time-consuming and expensive which is why Google is pledging its contribution.
Voya Financial, a retirement, employee benefits and investment management company, collaborates with TELUS Health in a significant shift in how organisations approach workplace mental health support and employee wellbeing programmes.
TELUS Health is a Canadian-based business that empowers people to live healthier lives, while supporting organisations to create more productive, wellbeing-focused workplaces through global leadership in healthcare technology.
Through the deal, the businesses aim to integrate TELUS Health's Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) services with Voya's Group Annual Term Life Insurance to strengthen the EAP services available.
This integration represents a notable development in how healthcare support is delivered within workplace benefit structures, offering employees more streamlined access to mental health resources.
Company portals
Executives
Anthony Woolf
Partner
Cobi B.
CEO & Co-Founder
Phil Kornbluth
President
Renae Kezar
Chief Sustainability Officer
Tiffany Zack
Director of Sustainability
