SB PROJECT WHITE PAPER
1. Project Name: Sun Valley Health & Wellness Institute (“Project HWI”)
2. Date Submitted: August 2011
3. Project Sponsor: tbd
4. Project Concept/Vision:
The project vision is to establish an overarching Health and Wellness Institute (HWI) in the Wood
River Valley (WRV) to benefit the residents and visitors to our community. Operating through existing and/or new bricks & mortar facilities and offering exceptional innovation programs throughout the year, this Institute would establish the WRV as a premier wellness designation.
With approximately 22,000 full time residents and more then xxx,000 annual visitors, the WRV already offers a wide variety of recreational, cultural and educational activities. The world class St.
Luke’s Wood River Medical Center (St Luke’s) and the Sun Valley Wellness Institute (producers of the nationally renowned Sun Valley Wellness Festival), together with existing wellness-related businesses, practitioners and organizations would collaborate to establish an overarching program to improve the health and wellness of residents and visitors alike. Just as “medical tourism” has increased in recent years, implementation of this program will put the WRV on the map for
“wellness tourism”. Potential clients/patients (and their families) would be attracted to a HWI because of superior facilities, unique location and innovative programs.
5. Project Description:
A HWI would extend beyond specific facilities and topics because there are so many potentially diverse facets to health and wellness. Potential health and wellness service areas affiliated with a
HWI could include (but are not limited to) the following:

Eating Disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia) treatment
 Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s treatment

Drug Addiction and Substance Abuse treatment

Sleep Disorder treatments

Executive Wellness
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Personalized Health & Fitness assessment
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Blood Testing

Nutritional Healing & Counseling

Integrative Medicine

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Physical Therapy / Outpatient rehabilitation

Smoking cessation

Elite Athletic Training
 Women’s Health (Dexa, Mammography, osteoporosis treatment, etc.)

Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics

Botox, cosmetic surgery, cosmetic dentistry, hair loss, etc.

Skin fitness services

Laser Hair Removal

Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi Chih
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SB PROJECT WHITE PAPER

Personal Training

Dance for fitness

Nordic walking

Aquatic fitness

Healing touch

Therapeutic massage

Anti-aging medicine

Acupuncture

Chiropractic

Weight loss center / Nutrition

Die with dignity / hospice

Chronic Pain Management

Golf, bicycling, other performance assessment

Sexuality and Intimacy

Embracing Grief & Loss

Thriving after Divorce

Compassionate Leadership

Developing Intuition & Awareness

Astrology

Meditation Intensive

Manifesting Abundance
Such treatments, programs and initiatives could be offered on an in-patient, out-patient, enrollment, seminar and/or workshop basis. More comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation programs are likely to be established as inresidence offerings through St. Luke’s, while training, assessment and fitness programs could be organized across a collaborative network of local qualified providers.
A HWI would help to position St. Luke’s overall image as a progressive healthcare provider focused on ensuring that residents of the Wood River Valley are among the healthiest in the nation. St.
Luke's desire to transform health care by aligning with physicians and other providers to deliver integrated, seamless, and patient-centered quality care fits well with the concept of a HWI in the
WRV. This project could act as a pilot for a system-wide rollout of Healthy Living Centers across the St. Luke’s network.
Development of a HWI would leverage off of the current diverse offerings already available in the community, especially the Sun Valley Wellness Festival, held each Memorial Day Weekend at the
Sun Valley Resort and produced by the non-profit Sun Valley Wellness Institute. For more then ten years, the Festival has been inspiring positive change in people by bringing world-renowned speakers, spiritual leaders and innovative educational programs, stimulating new wellness ideas, and nurturing body, mind and spirit. The Festival has helped earn the WRV national recognition in the media and with attendees as a top wellness destination.
The Sun Valley Wellness Institute is also expanding its operations to include a community
Wellness Partner Program to facilitate increased coordinated online resource information sourcing, branding and promotion of all area wellness events, programs, practitioners and organizations. It is also planning to begin offering innovate, top-quality wellness programs, workshops and new wellness events throughout the year, which will serve as a quality of life enhancement for residents as well visitors who will come to the area to participate.
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In the short term, a HWI would also seek to partner with world-class Sun Valley Resort to provide venues for HWI programs, workshops and events. In the medium- to longer-term, construction of one or more brick and mortar facilities with specific treatment or program focus would be required.
Initially, redesign certain areas of St. Luke’s could enhance its appeal as a “healing” facility with based on design improvements that encourage well-being and health as espoused by Esther M.
Sternberg, MD. Later, new facilities in the WRV are likely to be required as the HWI grows in scope and customers.
6. Strategic Fit:
A HWI aligns perfectly with the GoBlaine economic development strategies to Leverage the Sun
Valley “Brand”, Support Small Business & Entrepreneurs, Diversify Development Opportunities and Establish An Institute.
It could drive real business growth and diversity as a wellness revolution is at hand. The New
Wellness Revolution, recently published by Paul Zane Pilzer predicts continued growth of the wellness industry from a $500 billion to a trillion dollar industry. The wellness industry is predicted to be one of the only bright spots in our economic future in the next few years.
The fastest growing travel niche today is health and wellness. While a Wellness vacation means different things to different people, the one commonality is that all Wellness Vacations begin with
"intent." A wellness vacation can be about healthy eating, fitness, yoga and meditation, finding balancing, or communing with nature It can include a spa, but it doesn't have to.
A HWI also aligns with the philosophy ethic and culture of the community and its visitors. Our destination’s key brand wellness attributes include outstanding outdoor recreation of all types, passionate, active athletes and spiritual seekers, energy and environmental activism, and topnotch wellness services and practitioners. This destination has the setting, the infrastructure and the resources to build up wellness as one of the key pillars of the Sun Valley Brand.
7. Options & Competition:
From a competitive perspective, the YMCA Healthy Living Center of Greater Des Moines
(
(www.ymcahealthylivingcenter.com), , the Vail Vitality Center in Colorado
) and the Omega Institute in New York (www.eomega.com), provide different examples of how to think about a HWI in the Wood River Valley.
The WRV already offers most if not all of the amenities available at each of these centers.
However, such amenities are not consolidated under a single brand like the Vail Center, or on a single campus-like setting as at the Omega Institute. The YMCA model may offer an immediate opportunity to kick start a wellness program in the WRV with limited investment. The Vail model may be more applicable in the medium term as it links several different physical facilities under a single brand “umbrella”. And ultimately, the Omega model provides a longer-term visionary aspiration where health and wellness are offered on an integrated campus.
8. Preliminary Schedule & Milestones:
Implementation of a HWI will require collaboration across a large spectrum of the WRV community and require sufficient time to ensure appropriate participation, alignment on objectives and creation of a project organization. This effort should be organized into a number of sequential phases with defined objectives, performance metrics and accountabilities.
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Phase 1 would be focused on competitor research, organizational structure, and options analysis.
This effort is likely to require a dedicated working group and 3 to 6 months to complete. Phase 2 would focus on developing a comprehensive strategic framework for sustainable operations as well as a robust business plan. This effort will also require one or more working groups and a further 3 to 6 months. Additional project phases may be developed to assist with the implementation of detailed strategic/business plans.
9. Organization & Resources:
St Luke’s has the interest, resources, expertise and organizational capacity to lead the initial planning efforts as well as to take accountability for subsequent specific implementation efforts.
Together with the St Luke’s Wood River Foundation and their parent, St Luke’s Medical Network, they can draw on a combination of medical, financial and business skills to kick start this project.
The Sun Valley Wellness Institute also has the interest and a complementary set of skills to contribute to the planning efforts. Recently the board of directors has decided the time was right to begin expanding its efforts throughout the year for the benefit of the local community and as a draw for wellness-based tourism. It is anticipated this will take a modest level of paid and volunteer staff and operational financing to start initial work and will grow as projects grow in the future.
Numerous other entities and businesses in the WRV should be solicited to partner in this endeavor. These include SustainBlaine, the Sun Valley Company, SLERS, Zenergy, YMCA, and other local fitness facilities, SVSEF, Rotary, the Chambers of Commerce, Sun Valley Marketing
Alliance, lodging and restaurant establishments, health coalitions and other interested entities.
Delivery of this project is likely to require a significant commitment from key St. Luke’s staff and community volunteers. If an initial working group of 20 representatives spent 5 hours each per week, more then 1,600 man-hours would be required for Phase 1 alone.
10. Financing & Funding:
This is an endeavor that cannot proceed without clear financial support from the St Luke’s
Foundation. Though it is likely that the HWI could be self-sustaining over time, seed money is needed for formulating the HWI, business plan, and operational procedures. Following that, a fund raising goal will be apparent in order to implement the HWI.
11. Risk Assessment:
# Risk Potential Mitigation
1
2
3
4
Lack of unique value proposition
Lack of community collaboration
Lack of funding
Other???
Research into competitor business models and development of unique model
Engagement of all key constituencies upfront
Development of robust economic case based on sustainable operations
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12. Next Steps:
With an appropriate organizational framework and seed funding, embark on information gathering and design of the HWI as follows:
1. Form local oversight committee or board (to include all the right stake holders)
2. Investigate and visit other wellness and/or health facilities to establish best practices
3. Engage one or more knowledgeable consultants in the specific specialty areas
4. Develop formal proposals regarding structure, budget, timeline, operating guidelines, etc
5. Secure funding
6. Do it.
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