Here, healthcare is state-of-the-art and wellness is a state-of-mind.
With more than 169,150 healthcare and wellness workers at 17,950 companies across the region, the industry is one of the fastest growing in Metro Denver, recording a 9.5 percent job growth rate in 2011, compared to 1.7 percent growth nationally. With a $7.5 billion annual payroll, the healthcare and wellness industry has a compelling economic impact within Metro Denver.
The center of much of this expansive growth is the Fitzsimons Life Science District and the adjacent Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora. The 578-site is the largest medical-related redevelopment in the United States and the world's only completely new research, education, and patient care complex. With two world-class research hospitals—the University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado—the campus will total 18 million square feet and employ more than 30,000 people at full buildout.
As a regional healthcare center for the Rocky Mountain west, a host of new hospitals and specialty facilities have been constructed in the past three years throughout the nine-county region.
It’s no secret Metro Denver is positively preoccupied with staying fit and healthy. Attribute it to our nearly 300 days of spectacular sunshine, our exceptionally mild climate, or the Rocky Mountains in our back yard. The fact is, Metro Denver has a balanced lifestyle where health, family, and career complement one another.
This active lifestyle shows in our waistlines. Colorado has the nation’s lowest rate of obesity and is among the four lowest states for deaths caused by heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Our region is moving at a rapid pace to further advance our culture of health. A new facility under construction at the Anschutz Medical Campus is set to become the nation's go-to-source of information and programs in the battle to reverse the upward trend of childhood and adult obesity. The Colorado Center for Health and Wellness will feature a state-of-the-art facility, top researchers, scientists, and a multidisciplinary team focused on innovative programs based on sound science, including weight management, wellness at work, and connective wellness.
This mantra is well at work in our communities, where organizations such as LiveWell Colorado are working to reduce obesity through healthy eating and active living. In addition, the Colorado Health Foundation—one of the largest health-focused foundations in the country—provides grants to nonprofits focused on encouraging healthy lifestyles. And a truly Colorado initiative, Flat 14ers is encouraging children, families, and neighborhoods to increase their levels of physical activity by climbing virtual 14,000-foot mountain peaks.
The bottom line, Metro Denver's outstanding quality of life translates into a productive workforce that experiences less absenteeism and places fewer demands on the healthcare system. Put our energetic bodies and energetic minds to work at your company.
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