A regional economic development success story

By Ted Townsend / Guest Column

There’s nothing like taking 1,000 people to lunch to clear your thinking. Everybody in the room is invested in both the problems and the solutions we’re facing. What’s different is to find that rare moment when we all realize we’re not alone, we’re all in this together, and in large part, our success is driven by the success of the group – the community.

Feb. 7 was that kind of moment for me. Over the past year it’s been my honor to serve as chair of the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and that was the day of our annual meeting. As outgoing chair, it was my privilege to tell the story of our past year. A big part of that story was the creation of the long-sought joint venture between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City for regional economic development. This is a success story just starting to be written, but the moment of clarity was the opportunity to see “the region” all in one room, hearing about what we’ve done, what we’re doing and how much more we’re going to be able to accomplish together.

Then came the flash. While I always thought my involvement in economic development was odd for the CEO of a nonprofit health care organization, what came to me more clearly that day was that health care is not a bystander to regional development. Not only is our own success and growth governed by the health of the region, but the success of the Corridor is enhanced in part by our combined regional strengths in health care. So, while as a competitor, I want to focus on touting the strengths of UnityPoint Health or St. Luke’s Hospital, as an economic development stakeholder, it would be far smarter of me to refocus on our combined assets.

Together the health care providers of our region provide perhaps the best health care value in the country. You can locate your business here because of our high caliber work ethic, “Iowa Nice” or ability to help your business get the best quality health care at the lowest cost in America. Ask any of our large companies with business sites in other parts of the country. They will tell you that Cedar Rapids is their best deal. Don’t get me wrong, health care in this country and in Iowa still costs too much, and we as providers are part of the problem (though there’s plenty of blame to go around). But when it comes to economic development, we’re a big plus and we should be spreading the word to potential businesses.

Start with the mix of services. We have excellent community hospitals that have come together with primary care physicians to offer high quality, integrated health care options in both Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. St. Luke’s, Mercy Medical Center and Mercy Iowa City all have high quality and patient satisfaction scores, as well as excellent specialty physicians. That’s why a few years back we were nationally recognized as one of the 10 best value health care communities in the country by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, and why just last week Iowa was recognized as the best state in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, pushed to the top by our “access to high health care.”

And then there’s the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics. To have a world-class academic medical center located in the heart of our region would seem to be gift enough. Yes, their costs might be higher than community hospitals, but so is the breadth of their services. On a relative scale, their costs are among the lowest of other academic medical centers around the country, especially in Big 10 towns.

Put us all together and we have a prize asset, but one that only comes into view when you look at all of us from a regional view versus any community alone, and then compare us with the rest of the country.

While a nonprofit health care exec might be an odd fit for economic development, the people, services and missions I represent fit just fine. It’s been my privilege to speak for them.

Ted Townsend is president and CEO of UnityPoint Health-Cedar Rapids.