Salus Takes Center Stage at ‘Invest: Philadelphia 2020’ Event

Provost and vice president of Academic Affairs at Salus, Barry Eckert, PhD, was in Chicago recently with some colleagues exploring a potential new Orthotics and Prosthetics program to be offered by Salus. While there, he was speaking with the program director at Northwestern University, who suggested that Philadelphia was the sweet spot for healthcare and that it provides opportunities for both growth and collaboration.

“It’s something that we can do to attract students to this area with high-profile, high-quality programs and specialized programs,” said Dr. Eckert. “And, then keep them here if we collaborate and provide them with employment opportunities."

That was the message that Dr. Eckert delivered to those attending the second annual “Invest: Philadelphia 2020” event Dec. 5 at the Westin in Philadelphia. He was among more than a dozen panelists who spoke on a variety of topics, including healthcare, education and transit-oriented development.

The business event’s goal was to discuss key issues facing Philadelphia and try to address gaps and challenges in the region that will allow it to propel itself as the place to do business. Dr. Eckert, along with Ron Dreskin, principal-in-charge of the Health Care Service Group at EisnerAmper; Ellen Rosenberg, chief legal officer for Amicus; and Carter Caldwell, program director of Penn Medicine’s co-investment fund, were the panelists for a discussion titled “Healthcare Hub: A Look at the Driving Force Behind Philly’s Economy.”

Moderated by Lauren Murdza, a partner at DLA Piper global law firm, the panel was tasked with explaining, among other things, how the healthcare industry in Philadelphia has been a pioneer for growth in other industries in the region.

“We (Salus) have high-profile, specialized programs that are not found anywhere else in the area,” said Dr. Eckert. “What that does is that it gives us the opportunity to collaborate. My main message today is that collaboration among the universities in the healthcare system and among healthcare providers is critical to success.”

Among the other topics the panel addressed was how to develop talent in the region and then get that talent to stay here with quality jobs; and on the education front, what had each of the panelists’ organizations done to influence their communities.

Dr. Eckert pointed out that Salus has several clinical facilities in the region that serve those communities and also has a number of outreach activities that serve local schools, in particular the University’s Big Red Bus, that visits schools and offers optometry and audiology services to students who otherwise would not have access to those services.

He also shared that the University is in the early stages of participating in the Healthy Town Tioga Project, a community-informed and holistic neighborhood redevelopment plan put forth by TPP Capital Management Group that aspires to improve both health and economic outcomes for North Philadelphia residents. Based on research about the forces that drive inclusive growth, the project is designed to help advance shared prosperity in this neighborhood. The vision for the Healthy Town Tioga Project utilizes a whole neighborhood concentrated health and wellness development model to drive inclusive neighborhood growth without displacing current residents.

The final question the panel addressed was other healthcare risks in the Philadelphia area that needed to be addressed, specifically access to healthcare.

“There are some political things that need to be addressed in Harrisburg having to do statewide with scope of practice,’ said Dr. Eckert. “I think access is a huge problem and let’s face it, the economic health of the community depends on, among other things, the health of the people who live there.”

Dr. Eckert said after the presentation that it was important for Salus to play a role in healthcare and healthcare education in this area.

“The questions were right on the mark about issues we face and the things we need to solve. It’s important to get us out there interacting with these other groups that are part of this organization and part of this event,” he said. “We need to get our name out there and hopefully that makes us some connections for future collaborations.”