Health Care
Study Quantifies Reach of Washington’s Global Health Sector
By Seattle Business Magazine September 13, 2011
Global Health continues to grow as an cluster of regional expertise, offering important new opportunities for local organizations not only to address health care issues for the vulnerable here and in the developing world, but also to tackle market opportunities for low-cost health care products appropriate for the developing world. Here’s a press release about a new study that shows the breadth and depth of our region’s global health expertise.
The Reach
of Washingtons Global Health Sector
Release
of Global Health Strategic Mapping and Economic Opportunity Portfolio
Seattle Today the Washington Global Health Alliance
(WGHA) and City of Seattles Office of Economic Development (OED) released
their recently completed Global Health Strategic Mapping and Economic
Opportunity Portfolio, which quantifies the remarkable reach of
Washingtons global health sector, as well as identifies business opportunities
for local companies in global health.
The Strategic
Mapping Portfolio expands upon a 2009 mapping study, with 59 organizations
and businesses across Washington State participating, from the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation and Seattle Biomed, to Cascade Designs and SonoSite.
This
Strategic Mapping Portfolio demonstrates the growing impact of global
health in Washington State and around the world:
59
Washington organizations are conducting global health work in 156 countries;
In
Washington, 2,979 people work in global health. Outside of the state, these 59
organizations support an additional 17,275 employees;
Washington
has particular expertise in infectious & chronic disease and developing
technologies & devices; and
The
Washington global health organizations surveyed collaborate with 1,574 partners,
located in 111 countries across the world.
This
expanded mapping study not only provides a resource for those working in the
field of global health, but hopefully will be a source of pride for all who
read it and feel part of the important work thats being done here in our
state, said Ken Stuart, Ph.D., founder and president of Seattle BioMed. Its
exciting to see the broader picture of the global health efforts taking place
across Washington. This reflects the continued growth of our sector.
The Economic
Opportunity Portfolio includes collateral material to help companies
understand the types of opportunities in the global health sector and concrete
examples of companies who have been able to take advantage of them.
This document provides a communication tool to encourage companies not
currently engaged to consider opportunities in the global health sector.
Even in
these tough economic times, the global health sector continues to grow, create
jobs and offer business opportunities, said Lisa Cohen, executive director of
the Washington Global Health Alliance. Were excited about new collaborations
and partnerships between organizations and businesses already involved in
global health and those outside of the sector.
Among
Washingtons companies that have found opportunities in global health is
Cascade Designs, Inc., a Seattle-based leader in outdoor recreation and
military outdoor equipment. In partnership with
PATH, Cascade Designs has developed and tested the SE 200 water
treatment device in ten developing countries. By focusing on creating a
low cost solution, Cascade Designs has found ways to reduce costs and improve
quality that can be applied to other markets.
The
global health cluster presents the opportunity to create more high-paying jobs
focused on innovation and leverages the region’s existing strengths in
research, technology and manufacturing. said Steve Johnson, director of
Seattles Office of Economic Development. The Strategic Mapping and Economic
Opportunity Portfolio demonstrates the potential for export and the
expansion of markets for existing companies.
This project
was funded with a Cluster Grant from the Washington Department of Commerce, We
Work for Health Washington, and the Washington Global Health Fund, and the
research was conducted by BERK, Inc. of Seattle.
Washington
Global Health Alliance (WGHA)
WGHA
supports collaboration between our partners, local organizations, institutions
and companies discovering and developing solutions to the world’s health
challenges. It seeks to expand research, development and educational
opportunities to improve health worldwide. WGHA was formed in 2007 to foster
new partnerships within the extraordinary concentration of global health
nonprofits, research organizations and educational institutions in Washington
State.
Citys
Office of Economic Development (OED)
OED supports
a healthy business environment and empowers companies to succeed and grow. We
provide services directly to businesses through advocacy, retention and
expansion assistance, and workforce development. OED has several financing
options for businesses, including options for small to medium to large
businesses. Visit www.growseattle.com
to access city services for businesses, and for more information about
our office, visit www.seattle.gov/economicdevelopment.