Mayor Brian Treece wants to capitalize on Columbia’s plethora of hospitals and surgical centers to market the city as a destination for health care.
As Treece lauded the passage of Proposition 1 — a lodging tax increase that will help fund a new terminal at the Columbia Regional Airport — he told Regional Economic Development Inc. board members he plans to launch an initiative devoted to medical tourism. A resolution to form the Mayor’s Task Force on Medical Tourism will be up for city council consideration on Monday night.
“We are blessed to have a lot of health care providers,” he said Wednesday during a REDI meeting. Treece wants to gather representatives of Boone Hospital Center, University of Missouri Health Care, Truman Memorial Veterans’ Hospital, hoteliers, the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau and local surgical centers to form a task force of sorts to study the topic.
“What are the services that we do well, and how can we use Columbia’s health care density to market ourselves as a community for those that want to travel here for procedures?” Treece said.
More than two-thirds of ballots cast Aug. 2 supported Proposition 1, a measure that will raise the city’s gross receipts tax on hotels and motels from 4 percent to 5 percent for a period not to exceed 23 years. Treece said his initiative would take “a holistic approach to the airport as an incubator” for medical tourism.
Missouri Orthopaedic Institute’s BioJoint research program has reported that about 30 patients a month fly to Columbia for the institute’s procedures.
“The University of Kansas is advertising in our marketplace for patients to go to KU,” Treece said, drawing laughter from the crowd. “There’s no need for that.”
That potential medical tourism boon is not limited to human patients, said Steve Wyatt, a REDI board member and vice provost for economic development at MU.
“I would encourage you to think about our four-legged friends,” Wyatt said.
Some out-of-town pet owners bring their furry companions to MU’s Veterinary Health Center for treatments and procedures, he said, noting the potential benefits for the business community.
source: http://www.columbiatribune.com / Columbia Daily Tribune / Home> Business> Street Talk / by Jodie Jackson Jr. / Saturday – August 13th, 2016
