About HSSA

The Health Sciences and Services Authority (HSSA) of Spokane County was created by the Washington State Legislature in 2007 (RCW 35.104) to promote bioscience-based economic development and to advance new therapies and procedures to combat disease and to promote public health. This was, in part, a response to the Technology Alliance’s Bio 21 Report to develop an economic strategy with health and science at its core.

Under the legislation, HSSA is empowered to:

  • Leverage public monies with amounts received from other public and private resources
  • Solicit and receive gifts, grants, and bequests
  • Hold funds received by the Authority in trust, and
  • Make grants to entities pursuant to contract to promote bioscience-based economic development, advance new therapies and procedures to combat disease, and promote public health.

Spokane County is a known center for health care delivery, and the region is home to a significant network of rural and urban hospitals, including two of the top three in the state; enjoys excellent higher education facilities, including a medical sciences research university, a regional university and three private colleges, in addition to an outstanding community college system with strong education in applied health care, and excellent high-speed, high volume digital infrastructure.

Once established by the state, Spokane County authorized the HSSA within its boundaries where it collects a small fraction of a percent of county-wide sales tax revenue to fund research and operate.

Mission

The Health Sciences and Services Authority (HSSA) promotes bioscience-based economic development and advances new therapies and procedures to combat disease and promotes public health. The HSSA invests funds to create and support a nationally competitive health care cluster in Spokane County catalyzing connections between higher education and health care that lead to high wage jobs, long-term sustainability, and economic diversification. HSSA will fund the very best projects through a competitive, well-monitored and accountable process.

Strategic Initiatives

Increase local infrastructure capacity for bioscience research that sustainably supports innovative advances in medical diagnosis, treatment and health service delivery in Spokane County.

Increase access to health services for under-served residents of Spokane County.

Goal

Improve the capacity of the Spokane region to contribute to advances in health sciences and services.