Wellness and healthy living are hallmarks of life in Utah. In fact, Utah ranks as the sixth healthiest state in the nation by the United Health Foundation (America’s Health Rankings, 2007). The study found that Utah leads the nation in low rates of smoking, infant mortality, and cancer deaths. Utahns also benefit from superb health care providers and facilities, with award-winning hospitals, a premier cancer center, and a reputation for evidence-based medicine.
Business and community leaders desire to build upon the healthy lifestyles to reform Utah’s health system. Some states are just waiting for a federal solution. Utah, however, is acting to create a more sensible system that will bring lower health care costs, better quality, and will give every Utah resident insurance coverage.
Utah has 51 hospitals that offer quality care. Major medical facilities provide short-term acute and intensive care, alcohol and chemical dependent and psychiatric care, long-term care, and rehabilitation and specialty centers (such as burn and hospice facilities).
The University of Utah's School of Medicine and the University Hospital make up the core of the state's public medical complex. The University of Utah Health Sciences Center (UUHSC) conducts leading edge research in genetics, cancer treatment, diagnostic imaging, cardiac care, obstetrics and gynecology, newborn intensive care, and burn
treatment.
Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) is a department of the University of Utah and
is one of their Centers of Excellence. The only National Cancer Institute- designated cancer center in the Intermountain West, HCI is also part of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. With three floors of laboratories, HCI researchers investigate the causes of cancer and work to develop new treatments—focusing their research primarily on the genetics of cancer.
HCI’s outpatient care is located on the second floor. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of the foothills form the backdrop to the chemotherapy infusion suite. The first floor houses the Huntsman Cancer Learning Center, where patients, family members, and the general public can go to get the most current information on cancer, its prevention, and its treatments. The Learning Center is open to the public and free of charge, with access to over 3,000 cancer-related books, newsletters, videos, CD’s, and Internet access. Directly adjacent to the Institute is Huntsman Cancer Hospital, which opened in 2004. With state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment equipment as well as therapy and clinical research areas, it will be the only cancer-specialty hospital in the Intermountain West.
Intermountain Healthcare is a charitable, community-owned, nonprofit health care organization based in Salt Lake City serving the health needs of Utah and Idaho residents. Their healthcare system includes health insurance plans, 20 hospitals, clinics, and affiliated physicians. In 2003, in more than 149,000 visits, Intermountain Healthcare hospitals and clinics directly provided nearly $51 million in charitable assistance. A central part of their mission is to provide quality medical care to persons with a medical need, regardless of ability to pay.
In 2006 Intermountain Healthcare completed their new flagship hospital, the Intermountain Medical Center, at a cost of approximately $362 million. The hospital was built on 100 acres in the heart of the Salt Lake Valley near 5300 South and State Street in Murray. This center will serve as an adult referral center to six surrounding states and more than 75 regional health care
institutions.
Primary Children’s Medical Center has been singled out as one of the top children's hospitals in the nation. It is the only American College of Surgeons verified Level 1 trauma center for children in its five-state service area (Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada, and Montana). Specialties include heart, bone marrow, and liver transplants; pediatric and newborn intensive care; cardiovascular surgery; neurosurgery; and hematology/oncology. Critically ill children can be airlifted from throughout the Intermountain region for treatment at the hospital. In 2007 the hospital provided nearly $8 million in care for families who were not charged. Currently they house about 232 beds.
Regence BlueCross BlueShield is the state’s largest health insurer handling the insurance needs and are the largest affiliation in the Pacific Northwest/Mountain region. They cover about 3 million people within Utah, Idaho, Oregon and parts of Washington. In 1992 Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah founded The Caring Foundation for Children which is today one of the state’s leading children’s charities and has provided free health or dental benefits to more than 9,000 Utah children who could not afford coverage otherwise.
The Intermountain Shriner's Hospital for Children provides specialty orthopedic care and rehabilitation to children with diseases and disorders of the bones, muscles, and joints. All care is free to children under 18 years old. There is no cost to patient or family. Since 1925, the Intermountain facility has cared for over 25,000 patients from Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, and Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexico. The hospital features 40 beds, an in-house prosthetics and orthotics lab, the regions only motion analysis laboratory, a 3,000-square-foot indoor play and therapy treatment area, and four apartments for parents and other family members.
All Utah hospitals have taken voluntary measures to cut their costs and increase their efficiency. Utah's health care industry is working to eliminate excess capacity, to adopt managed care and to implement patient care systems that emphasize prevention. Providing the highest quality care at the lowest possible cost is the desired result.
For more information on healthcare providers
or facilities please click on one of the links below.
Healthcare
