1     
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION ON HEALTH SCIENCES

2     
2017 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Edward H. Redd

5     
Senate Sponsor: Brian E. Shiozawa

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes the
10     University of Utah Health Sciences' vital role in advancing medical knowledge and
11     clinical care, its contribution to the health and wellness of future generations, and its
12     education and training of the state's health care providers.
13     Highlighted Provisions:
14          This resolution:
15          ▸     recognizes the University of Utah Health Sciences' (UHS) vital role in educating
16     and training the state's health care providers;
17          ▸     recognizes UHS as a world-class academic medical center in our state and region
18     that provides the highest levels of clinical care and contributes to the health and
19     wellness of future generations and to the robust economy of our state and region;
20     and
21          ▸     recognizes that research performed at UHS is critical to the advancement of medical
22     knowledge and clinical care that will lower costs while improving quality.
23     Special Clauses:
24          None
25     

26     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
27          WHEREAS, University of Utah Health Sciences (UHS) is the only academic medical

28     center in Utah and the Mountain West;
29          WHEREAS, UHS serves patients in frontier, rural, and urban areas in a catchment area
30     covering 10% of the continental United States, including Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Nevada,
31     and parts of Colorado;
32          WHEREAS, many groundbreaking medical 'firsts' occurred at UHS, including the
33     world's first total artificial heart implant, the world's first comprehensive map on the retina's
34     neuron, the nation's first National Institutes of Health research grant, and the nation's first
35     wearable artificial kidney;
36          WHEREAS, since 1967, the University of Utah School of Medicine has trained more
37     than 35,000 doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, mid-level specialists, health providers,
38     scientists, and educators, and today trains two-thirds of the physicians in the state, roughly
39     one-third of whom enter primary care;
40          WHEREAS, UHS is the training ground for most of Utah's physicians, nurses,
41     pharmacists, therapists, and other health care professionals, and graduates approximately 1,250
42     new health care professionals each year through its five schools and colleges, including the
43     Schools of Medicine and Dentistry and the Colleges of Health, Nursing, and Pharmacy;
44          WHEREAS, 82% of University of Utah School of Medicine students are from Utah and
45     come from every major Utah college and university, including Brigham Young University,
46     Dixie State University, Southern Utah University, Utah State University, Utah Valley
47     University, Weber State University, and Westminster College;
48          WHEREAS, the University of Utah School of Medicine is ranked among the top 50
49     medical schools in the nation, has the fifth ranked physician assistant program in the nation,
50     and plans to offer a physician assistant program at Dixie State University in 2018;
51          WHEREAS, the University of Utah College of Nursing ranks second in the nation for
52     National Institutes of Health research grants and has the ninth ranked midwifery program in the
53     nation;
54          WHEREAS, the University of Utah College of Pharmacy ranks fifth in the nation for
55     National Institutes of Health research grants and has the 17th ranked Doctor of Pharmacy
56     program nationwide;
57          WHEREAS, the University of Utah College of Health has the 20th ranked physical
58     therapy program and the 30th ranked speech-language pathology program in the nation;

59          WHEREAS, the University of Utah College of Dentistry graduated its first class in
60     2017 with a 100% board pass rate and the second highest incoming student grade point average
61     in the nation;
62          WHEREAS, all UHS students have the opportunity to train in a health system that is
63     currently ranked first in the nation for quality, has been ranked in the top 10 in the nation for
64     the last seven years in a row, and contributes to Utahns enjoying some of the lowest costs of
65     care in the nation;
66          WHEREAS, UHS is at the forefront of efforts to build value in health care through
67     nationally-recognized innovations that are creating better outcomes for patients at lower costs;
68          WHEREAS, UHS was the first health system in the nation to publish patient reviews of
69     care providers online, an effort that has led to improved care and higher patient satisfaction
70     rates as more than 50 health care systems have followed suit;
71          WHEREAS, 12 UHS community clinics serve as critical clinical training grounds for
72     Utah's future health care providers, offering practical experience in more than 200 specialties;
73          WHEREAS, Utahns in rural and underserved areas benefit from access to high-quality
74     health care through UHS innovations, including project ECHO, a cost-free partnership between
75     community providers and a University of Utah interdisciplinary team of professionals
76     developed to treat chronic and complex diseases, and telemedicine programs at 45 sites
77     throughout the state;
78          WHEREAS, UHS provided the region's first neonatal intensive care unit, the region's
79     first and only comprehensive stroke treatment and burn center, Utah's first telemedicine
80     network, and the region's first and only National Cancer Institute comprehensive status
81     designation facility with the Huntsman Cancer Institute;
82          WHEREAS, UHS research has led to the discovery of more than 30 disease-causing
83     genes through stewardship of the world-renowned Utah Population Database; a Nobel Prize for
84     faculty member Mario Capecchi, PhD.; more than $288 million in research grants in 2015; the
85     establishment of Associated Regional & University Pathologists (ARUP) Laboratories as a
86     national leader in molecular diagnostics and comprehensive genetics testing; and the creation
87     of spinout companies, including Myriad Genetics and Biofire; and
88          WHEREAS, UHS cares for underserved Utahns, providing more than $126 million in
89     uncompensated care in 2016 alone, donating hundreds of thousands of pounds of food to the

90     Utah Food Bank, training students to be committed to their community, and volunteering more
91     than 20,000 hours around the state and at charity care facilities, including the 4th Street and
92     South Main clinics:
93          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
94     Governor concurring therein, recognizes the University of Utah Health Sciences' vital role in
95     educating and training the state's health care providers.
96          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize UHS
97     as a world-class academic medical center in the state and region that provides the highest levels
98     of clinical care and contributes to the health and wellness of future generations and to the
99     robust economy of the state and region.
100          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize that
101     research performed at UHS is critical to the advancement of medical knowledge and clinical
102     care that will lower costs while improving quality.
103          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the University
104     of Utah Health Sciences.






Legislative Review Note
Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel