This article was published in the Fall 2019 issue
by Elisabeth Nebeker
Cambia Grove is focused on bridging the gap between innovators and the traditional health care sectors in communities across the country. Cambia Health Solutions launched Cambia Grove in 2015 to connect with like-minded changemakers to create solutions that advance Cambia’s Cause, to create a person-focused and economically sustainable health care system.
In January of this year, Cambia Grove partnered with the Economic Development Corporation of Utah to release the Utah Health Care Innovation Landscape report. The report identifies and quantifies the health care innovation sector in Utah — including health IT, digital health, innovation services and life sciences — as a viable economic engine for the region.
The health care innovation highlights in the report include:
– 532 companies employing 34,000 people
– $90,250 average employee compensation vs $55,442 state average
– $7.1 billion in sales and output, or dollars spent and produced as a result of employment or capital investment in the sector
– Generates over $2.3 billion in direct annual employee compensation
– $312.3 million in total venture capital investment in 2017
– Projected 5-year job growth rate at 22%
With the impressive numbers and collaborative stakeholder response that this report created, Cambia Grove knew Utah was the best place to expand their work. In June I was hired to build and maintain a Cambia Grove presence in Utah that reflects the needs, opportunities, and resources of our state to push health care innovation forward.
Needless to say, this is a big change for me. My 20 years of marketing, public relations, community building and collaborative leadership has been in Broadway touring and independent film with Sundance Institute and Utah Film Center. I have always been drawn to the power of story to open hearts and minds.
With a degree in health science, I am excited to return to a field that is at a critical point for innovating, collaborating and problem solving across all sectors of the healthcare system. My work at Utah Film Center, initiating conversation and bringing community together around film, translates well for engineering serendipity within the robust health care innovation happening in Utah.
As we work to bring the community together to advance health care innovation, please join us for an upcoming event to learn more and join us on this journey.
- 5 Points of Health Care™ (Wednesday, September 18 11am-1pm at Kiln Salt Lake City): panelists representing Patient, Payer, Provider, Purchaser, and Policymaker will discuss barriers and opportunities. Moderated by Chris Klomp, Collective Medical.
- TRAILS Competition (Application Deadline Tuesday, October 1): this national competition is designed to provide promising startups access to real world testing and application within the healthcare system. The 2019 Fall TRAILS Competition will focus on how physicians can use data more accurately and efficiently to improve workflow.
- Silicon Slopes Tech Summit (Monday, January 27, 2020): be sure to come find us at Silicon Slopes Tech Summit in January.
Our health is our greatest asset. Ensuring high quality, accessible and affordable health care is essential to our humanity. I am grateful every morning for my health when I run the trails by my home with some remarkable women as spotlighted in Women’s Running. I am thrilled to be part of an organization focused on transformation in health care that is people focused and financially stable. I look forward to working with all of you to advance health care innovation in Utah. And if you ever want to go on a run, I am game.
Read the rest of the articles in the Fall 2019 issue of Silicon Slopes Magazine
