One Utah Health Collaborative and Utah’s BioHive Community

June 23, 2022

Governor Cox has invited Utah’s life sciences industry to engage in a bold initiative called the “One Utah Health Collaborative.” Cox understands the importance of our industry to the healthcare system and it’s appropriate that we be at the table. Below we provide more detailed information about the initiative and opportunities to participate.

Background
Last November, Governor Cox announced a call to action for the healthcare community to make Utah the national leader in cost-efficient, innovative healthcare, thereby strengthening our state’s economic competitiveness and supporting a high quality of life for all Utahns. A central infrastructure to achieve this is the formation of a new public-private entity comprised of community, employer, healthcare, and patient advocate leadership, which will lead, collaborate, and support innovation of Utah’s payments and care delivery termed the “One Utah Health Collaborative”.

The Collaborative will be formally organized as a non-profit 501(c)3 with an Executive Director. It will be funded by $1M per year from the legislature and a goal of $2.3M in contributions from the private sector. The Collaborative has a 15-year horizon for achieving its stated objectives. In the past few months community members have participated in various committees exploring Goals, Governance/Structure, Innovation and Data as these areas apply to the objectives of the Collaborative.

On June 28, at 9:30 a.m. at the State Capitol, Gov. Cox will hold a press conference and announce the specific goals of the Collaborative that have been derived from discussions to date.

Participation and Role of Utah’s Life Sciences Industry
BioUtah and some Utah life sciences companies have participated in these committee meetings.

The Executive Committee of the BioUtah Board of Directors encourages our life sciences companies to consider participation in the Collaborative. Ways in which to participate include:

• Sign the statewide pledge using this FORM prior to July 15.
• A worksheet provided by the Collaborative provides ways in which a company can approach their participation through the Pledge. View the Worksheet HERE. Then submit an activity plan using this form.
• Join Governor Cox on July 21 at 11:00 AM for a signing event at the Utah State Capitol.
• Participate in various roundtable meetings sponsored by the Collaborative in the coming year.
• Support the Collaborative financially. The Collaborative will be seeking $2.3M in funding from the private sector each year. However, no financial commitment is required to participate.

While much of this effort will, of necessity, focus on healthcare providers and payers, life sciences companies and innovators have a role to play. Utah’s life sciences sector provides critical products to Utah patients and healthcare systems that have payment and insurance implications, amongst others. Our engagement in the way healthcare is delivered can offer unique and important perspectives. We are also employers coping with the rising costs of healthcare, which unites us with all other employers in the state in seeking solutions.

Questions
Please consider this opportunity to engage with the Collaborative and contact me if you have questions or input: kelvyn@bioutah.org / 801-580-4523.