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Intermountain CEO: Utah fares better than U.S. but senior suicide, access issues remain
Summary
Intermountain Health CEO Rob Allen told the symposium Utah shows better life expectancy and lower per‑capita cost of care than national averages, but flagged a high senior suicide rate and urged upstream investments and role clarity among health systems, state and local partners.
Rob Allen, president and CEO of Intermountain Health, told attendees that Utah's population health trends are better than the national picture but that serious challenges remain for older adults. He cited a state life expectancy of about 80.1 years versus a national figure near 73 and said Utah’s per‑capita cost of care is lower than many large metro areas. He also warned that "we do have a high suicide rate for our seniors" and urged attention to gun safety and crisis response for older adults.
Allen described Intermountain’s community benefit work, saying the system reported approximately $1.3 billion in community support last year and provided charity care for over 345,000 people. He emphasized a proactive, upstream approach to health (prevention, early detection and social determinants) and noted efforts such as hospital‑at‑home and remote monitoring to help aging Utahns remain at home where appropriate. “We want to be part of the journey with our communities,” he said.
His remarks framed subsequent discussion on how nonprofits, counties and state agencies can coordinate roles to expand home and community‑based services and reduce pressure on institutional care.
