A General Obligation (GO) Bond program of $500 million will be voted on by Phoenix residents for approval on Nov. 7, 2023, the first bond campaign in 16 years. Among the proposed projects is a project by Arizona State University called the “ASU Health and Technology Center.” 

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ASU submitted a request to the Economic Development and Education Subcommittee requesting that the original request for the two projects (the Advanced Nursing Facility and the Microelectronics Health Science and Technology Center) be combined into one project. A $15 million increase was also requested for the combined project.  

Among the benefits of the project are the advancement of a new set of programs in Public Health Technology (including advanced nursing) and the retraining of existing workers.

In an interview, Rick Naimark, Associate Vice President for Program Development Planning at ASU said the goal is to expand the ways in which technology can bring about better health. “We decided to create a new program or programs that will use technology and engineering and other resources to impact the training of health professionals, the way in which people can solve health problems, and the way in which we can monitor and inform people about public health trends and just solve new solutions in the health space. That’s why we need new spaces to do that,” said Naimark. 

The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication building in Downtown Phoenix was one of the projects financed by the 2006 bond program. The Cronkite building sparked a healthy amount of interest in the area, showing that the ASU Health and Technology Center can also be quite successful as well. There are now more than 10,000 students enrolled at ASU’s downtown campus (ASU). 

In an interview, Wes Gullett, Chief Executive for OH Strategic Communications said that Arizonans will benefit if the GO Bond passes.“When we develop technology, technological solutions to health care problems, the people of Phoenix and the people of Arizona are the very first people who benefit from that technology.” 

Working with a lot of principal investigators from ASU who are working in the health technology sector, Gullett stated his support in prioritizing the ASU Health and Technology Center at last year’s Economic Development and Education meeting. “So anytime we’re developing new technological solutions in healthcare the benefit is tremendous for the people who are closest to it,” said Gullett. 

Rick Hall, a Clinical Professor of Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the Managing Partner of the Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University MedTech Accelerator said that the reason this project has his support is because this project will help build on previous initiatives in healthcare and technology at ASU. “Phoenix has been building an impressive infrastructure in health education and innovation for several years. We need to build on that momentum and add more resources to spawn innovative health research and solutions that flourish in our own state,” said Hall.  

Hall added that the GO Bond will help build on what was achieved with the 2006 Bond, and draw more people and enterprise to downtown Phoenix.“Beyond tax revenue, the area has transformed and is more attractive to residents, tourists, and businesses because of the Phoenix Bioscience Core. This will be no different. Investments into education, research, and innovation will continue to build the entrepreneurial ecosystem, which benefits the community economically as new technologies grow and develop locally,” said Hall. 

A Special Bond Election will be held on Nov. 7, 2023, to decide the outcome of the GO Bond Program.