Region poised to become national leader in health, wellness
By Sue Gleason, Thrive
It certainly did not take this A&O Initiative to know that quality health care is one of our most precious regional assets. The Madison Region has a unique blend of both big urban and rural community hospitals and clinics. The A&O mapped this regional coverage along with the connection between the world of health-care delivery and biomedical research and related economic opportunities, also a huge strength in the region. Add those two regional strengths to our interest in healthy lifestyles and wellness and we have a strong three-pronged opportunity to build upon.
Here are a few facts to further make that case. The region has exceptional access to high-quality health care. Many of the region’s hospitals have achieved state and national recognition for quality care. Everyone in the region is within 20 minutes of an ambulatory care facility. Health insurance coverage for the region is at 90 percent and many of the region’s counties are in the top five counties in the state for various health factors, according to the UW Population Institutes recent County Health Rankings.
The recent hospital economic impact report by the Wisconsin Hospital Association and UW Extension highlights 24 hospitals in the southern corner of the state, 19 of those in the eight-county Madison region (five in Dane and 14 in the surrounding counties).
“The Madison Region, along with Wisconsin in general, truly boasts some of the best rural hospitals in the country,” said Tim Size, executive director of the Rural Wisconsin Health Cooperative (Sauk County). “Promoting this aspect of our quality of life should be at the top of the list when we talk about the region.”
The region also has a strong cluster of biotech and medical diagnostics companies, largely based in Dane County for now, but that is changing as more companies get into this industry. Some of the most recognized companies in the biotech and medical technology sector employ more than 10,000 people in the region. (See Thrive’s recent Biotechnology Sector Snapshot for more details: www.thrivehere.org/biotechnology )
Indeed, the combined health-care and biomedical-related industries are major employers throughout the region that will survive any economy. We have renowned regional health-care, wellness and biomedical assets that are at the forefront of rapid and dynamic medical advancement. We are also a hotbed of complementary medicine and holistic health, which are becoming more mainstream.
Our regional assets include:
• Award-winning health-care delivery and innovative provider networks
• Globally recognized life science research and development connected to the university
• Leading-edge private sector clinical diagnostics, medical imaging, and medical records companies, including Covance, GE and Epic, which give rise to a strong biomedical, medical device and therapeutics cluster
• A healthy and active image stemming from numerous outdoor fitness events, an innovative bike network and culture, our consumer demand for complementary medicine options, and our pioneering work around and access to local food.
Building from exceptional leadership in all of these individual “silos,” we can collectively develop and broadcast a compelling vision and model the synergies between health, life sciences and lifestyle in our region. The Madison Region can advance its role as a global leader in these areas by creating stronger collaboration between our clear strengths in biomedical research, health-care delivery, medical technology and information industries, and regional wellness.
This initiative encourages a stronger focus on integrating these capacities in our region; from innovative workforce wellness programs to clinical trials, stem-cell research and biopharma, we have all the ingredients to grow as a leading life sciences and wellness region. Thrive’s sector directors in health care, agriculture and biotechnology are already working together to strengthen these connections. We can build from such leadership efforts already in place through the Biomedical Collaborative and the Healthcare Leadership Collaborative to take this conversation and activity to higher levels.
As a Midwest “Biomedical, Healthcare and Wellness Region”, this holistic approach to human health discovery and delivery will help attract and retain top talent, increase federal R&D funding, increase licensable technology, help product development and start-ups, and maintain health-care excellence. In the process of all of this, we can become a healthier region and make our businesses more productive.
“High quality health care is a staple in our region, and the growing connection to biomedical opportunities and wellness will ultimately help us build a stronger economic future and a healthier one for those that live here,” said Terri Potter of Potter Consulting, former CEO at Meriter Health Services, and a founding Thrive Board member.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third in an eight-part series highlighting eight strong opportunities to grow the Madison Region's economy in ways that preserve and enhance our quality of life. The Assets and Opportunities Initiative, or A&O, was launched by Thrive, the economic development enterprise for the eight-county region, with support from the Madison Community Foundation and conducted by Vandewalle & Associates with input from state and regional resources and experts.
