Blog Listing

Utah is aging. And the numbers tell the story. Today, about 15% of Utah’s population is age 65 or older, and by 2060, that number is expected to climb to 20%, that is, one in every five residents. At the same time, Utah’s total population is projected to surpass 4 million, meaning more people—and 800,000 older adults. This demographic transformation will shape nearly every aspect of life in Utah: housing, healthcare, transportation, the workforce, and even how communities connect. So, the question isn’t about understanding the trend. The question is whether Utah will be ready.

Yeah, I know, Spring is staring us in the face, and we’re coming out of a long dark winter full of isolation, social distancing and Covid 19. But this winter story bears revisiting. It’s full of inspiration, ingenuity and just plain fun.

One of my favorite movies is Contact, the story of a SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) scientist who finds strong evidence of extraterrestrial life and is chosen to make first contact. The film, an adaptation of Carl Sagan’s novel of the same name, stars Jodie Foster as Dr. Ellie Arroway, the film’s protagonist.

The Utah Health Department regularly receives information about disease and mortality to monitor and address the health and wellness of residents of the state. Using this information, we can compare health problems and health care use across time. This report also examined this information within the challenging year of 2020, looking at different stages of the COVID-19 pandemic

As this year's election season is winding down, many of us are hopeful that the rancor, divisiveness, and fear mongering surrounding it will give way to a more hopeful and optimistic future. The endless stream of political ads, email solicitations, and phone calls are exhausting as well, making it seem attractive to just unplug everything and go into a news black-out.