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NEWS RELEASE August 31, 2009
State panel to look at
economic contributions of global health
SEATTLE -- A
legislative panel chaired by Lt. Gov. Brad Owen will convene Wednesday,
Sept. 2 to study global health as a sector of the state’s economy.
The 14-member Legislative Committee on Economic Development and
International Relations (LCEDIR) is a committee
authorized to study and
review economic development issues. The committee
will learn about “Washington’s Global Health Care Industry” in a
three-hour meeting starting at 9 a.m. at the
PATH headquarters in Seattle.
PATH
(Program for Appropriate
Technology in Health)
is a nonprofit organization that seeks to improve global health.
According to a
2007 report by the University of Washington, the state’s global
health sector creates and supports over 43,000 jobs and generates over
$1.7 billion in salaries, wages, and benefits annually.
For example, Washington state organizations are deeply involved in every
aspect of the H1N1 pandemic flu response, said Lisa Cohen, who is
director of the
Washington Global Health Alliance (WGHA) and will be one of seven
topical experts presenting at the meeting.
Cohen cites Washington State University researchers as the state's first
line of defense with their sophisticated surveillance systems for
emerging viruses. The University of Washington is working with Seattle
Children’s Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
and Pacific Northwest National Laboratories and Group Health to quickly
diagnose H1N1, develop an effective vaccine and conduct vaccine trials,
and help communities prepare for an outbreak.
The Infectious Disease
Research Institute (IDRI) is offering special technology that could
enhance the effectiveness and supplies of both seasonal and pandemic flu
vaccines and PATH is helping determine how much vaccine will be needed.
Seattle Biomedical
Research Institute is exploring the potential of strengthening
current drugs or developing new ones, Cohen added. Presentations will also focus on food safety and sanitation issues, attracting and retaining organizations that work on global health issues to Washington, educational opportunities, product development and more - with the focus of all being on the business and economic impacts of the industry in our state.
Committee members include Senators Jerome Delvin, Tracey Eide, Mike
Hewitt, Jim Kastama, Derek Kilmer, Cheryl Pflug and Paull Shin, and
Representatives Barbara Bailey, Bruce Chandler, Bob Hasegawa, Phyllis
Gutierrez Kenney, Tim Probst, and Dan Roach.
PATH headquarters is located at
1455 NW Leary Way in Seattle.
The meeting will be broadcast on the state’s public affairs
network, TVW,
on Friday, Sept. 4th at 4 p.m.
and again on Saturday, Sept. 5 at 12 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 6 at
8 a.m. It will also be available via streaming media on the
station’s Web site at
www.tvw.org. Media
inquiries: Office of Lt. Governor:
Brian Dirks, communications
director, 360.786.7707 or
dirks.brian@leg.wa.gov
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