Intermountain Health and the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games, an outreach department of Southern Utah University, today announced a new partnership that will position Intermountain as the Official Health Partner and Medical Provider of the Games, strengthening support for athletes while advancing health, wellness, and community impact across Southern Utah.

As part of the partnership, Intermountain will serve in a lead health role for the Games and provide on-site athletic training and sports medicine support to help keep athletes safe, supported, and performing at their best throughout the event. 

“This partnership reflects our commitment to showing up in meaningful ways for the communities we serve,” said Jamison Robinett, president of Intermountain Health Cedar City Hospital. “Through this collaboration, Intermountain Health is extending our mission to serve more people by expanding in ways that help individuals live the healthiest lives possible. The Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games is a longstanding and important part of this community, and we are proud to support its athletes, families, and organizers in a shared commitment to health, wellness, and opportunity for all.” 

Jon Oglesby, director of the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games, said, “We are excited to welcome Intermountain Health in this expanded role with the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games. Their support helps strengthen the athlete experience and reinforces our shared belief in the power of sport to improve lives, build community, and create lasting impact.

The 2026 Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games marks the organization’s 40th anniversary, with the Opening Ceremony scheduled for the evening of Friday, June 5, 2026. 

The Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games center their program on “impact and opportunity through sports,” a theme that aligns closely with Intermountain’s mission to help people live the healthiest lives possible.  

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Intermountain Health and the Utah Warriors have announced the renewal of their groundbreaking partnership, reaffirming their commitment to enhancing wellness and athletic excellence throughout Utah. 

This collaboration, which marries Intermountain Health's medical expertise with the athletic prowess of the Utah Warriors, aims to elevate health and fitness standards across the state.

As the official community partner of the Utah Warriors, Intermountain Health is at the forefront of expanding rugby's reach in Utah and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle for all. This renewal marks a significant milestone in a partnership that began three years ago, setting a new standard in professional sports medicine and extending its benefits to athletes and communities across Utah and beyond.

The announcement coincides with the upcoming WarriorsFest on June 28th, the Utah Warriors' final home match of the 2024 MLR season. This event is not just a celebration of rugby but also a momentous occasion to support Primary Children's Hospital through fundraising efforts, demonstrating the partnership's commitment to the well-being of Utah's youth.

“Rugby is taking Utah by storm, and the Utah Warriors have been instrumental in this surge,” said Intermountain Health CEO Rob Allen, who expressed his enthusiasm for the renewed partnership, "Our collaboration has been a catalyst for enhancing athletic programs across the West. We're proud to continue this journey, fostering a healthier Utah."

Kimball Kjar, Founder and CEO of the Utah Warriors, also highlighted the significance of the partnership. 

“Intermountain Health has been a partner of the Utah Warriors from day one,” said Kjar. "Both of us are committed to our community’s well-being and we’re excited to drive this partnership deeper and wider.”

Intermountain Health will remain the Jersey Front Sponsor of the Utah Warriors in addition to becoming the Official Community Partner.

The renewed partnership between Intermountain Health and the Utah Warriors is a testament to their shared vision of promoting health, wellness, and community spirit through the power of sports. As rugby's popularity continues to rise in Utah, this collaboration is poised to make a lasting impact on athletes and families throughout the state.

During this year’s biggest football week in Las Vegas, several current and former NFL players gathered in a room to talk about an aspect that most have never heard from them – their feelings. The players, known for hard hits and spectacular plays, talked about the importance of addressing mental health to a room full of high school students, and it was captured on camera for all to see and learn.

Throughout May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, Intermountain will be sharing content from the mental health panel, while continuing to engage in important and meaningful mental health conversations with our communities. These events and partnerships highlight a shared commitment to tackling the stigma of mental illness and help others know that they are never alone.

Rob Allen, Intermountain’s president and CEO, spoke at “The Strongest Play is Asking for Help” event, and highlighted the urgent nature of the mental health crisis, labeling it as an epidemic. His remarks underscored concerning statistics, such as the prevalence of mental health disorders among youth ages 6 to 17 and the disturbing fact that suicide ranks as the second leading cause of death for individuals ages 10 to 14.

The current and former NFL players shared messages that reinforced themes of honesty and empowerment to a diverse audience that included city and community leaders and students from the Clark County School District. Each shared personal anecdotes, illustrating their struggles with mental health and the journey toward openness.

The players on the panel and/or who talked to the students included: Solomon Thomas, co-founder of The Defensive Line, New York Jets; Brandon Bolden, formerly of the Las Vegas Raiders/New England Patriots; Darren Waller, New York Giants; Carl Nassib, retired NFL player; Alec Ingold, Miami Dolphins; Cedric Tillman, Cleveland Browns; and Marcus Smith, retired NFL player.

These football athletes that participated are known for their work off the field advocating for community health causes important to them, such as suicide prevention, homelessness, equity, and other issues that need addressing for marginalized neighborhoods and people.

“I am really grateful for the community collaborators, partners, and influential athletes who would give of their time and resources and their abilities to raise awareness of mental well-being and suicide prevention,” said Rob Allen.

The Defensive Line has been working nationwide on suicide prevention messaging, especially calling out the increased risk for Black youth. Among those youth, the risk for Black females has risen by 182 percent between 2001-2017.

Black men also have elevated risks with 80 percent of suicides among that population being male, and the highest number of them are in their early 20’s.

“We have been defined as men, that we have to be tough, and that we define strength in the entirely wrong way,” said Solomon Thomas on the panel. “But through my journey of grief, my own mental health journey, and everything I have been in, I have learned that being tough is not strength. Strength is being vulnerable.”

Being vulnerable with yourself and knowing it’s normal to seek mental health help was an overall message. Darren Waller, who has battled substance use and alcohol disorders, turned his life and his mental state around and talked about that importance.

“For me it was getting honest and (saying), I don’t have all of this figured out,” Waller said. “We have physical skills and we have mental skills, but as far as emotionally, we don’t necessarily have that, and we need to teach younger generations that skill.”

Intermountain Health is a nonprofit health system and conducts Community Health Needs Assessments in all the states it covers. These states are Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Utah. In every Community Health Needs Assessment provided, mental health and suicide are near the top as the biggest areas that need addressing.

Intermountain has worked for years to address this with increasing mental health access, both in-person and virtually, partnering with advocacy groups, and working with safe gun storage messaging and devices. Intermountain has distributed approximately 67,000 free gun locks since 2019 and trained over 57,000 people, including first responders, caregivers, teachers and librarians on Counseling for Lethal Arms (CALM).

After the mental health panel, a service project followed that saw the creation of 1,000 Find Your Anchor Boxes. These blue boxes were packed with various materials designed to inspire, soothe, and offer support - such as a 52+ Reasons to Live deck of cards, an infographic on depression, list of resources, a letter from a stranger who cares, posters, a bracelet, a mixtape, stickers, some other sweet nothings, and a whole lot of good vibes.

The players, Intermountain, and mental health advocates then donated the boxes to Las Vegas-area groups so they would be able to hand-out to youth in need. Those places included UNLV Practice center, The Center, Clark County, and Shine A Light Foundation.

The panel conversation and other videos can be found at www.strongestplay.com along with critical mental health resources for local Intermountain areas and National resources as well.

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In its continued effort to enhance sustainability, Intermountain Health is celebrating a new Remote Operations Center (ROC) that tracks and monitors energy use at larger facilities and has helped save more than half a million dollars in the first year by finding and eliminating energy waste.

 The ROC’s system uses billions of data points to track energy use and find inefficiencies in systems not working properly. In a facility as large as a hospital, inefficiencies can be hard to find and often aren’t discovered until something breaks down.

 “To keep a large building comfortable for patients it takes a lot of systems working together just right, and there’s a lot of spots where things can go wrong,” said Matt Wilson, remote operations center manager for Intermountain Health. “This new system picks up the smallest problems so we can find it and fix it.”

 The ROC was made possible by a partnership with Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Business Program. Through the program Intermountain Health received technical guidance, and incentives for reducing its energy consumption.

 “Our partnership with Intermountain Health has not only saved money, but has increased energy efficiency and reduced our environmental impact,” said Jessen Doxey, regional business manager for Rocky Mountain Power. “The Wattsmart Business Program provides the savings and solutions designed to help companies reach their long-term goals.”

 One example of the operations center at work was a glitch discovered in a boiler that was rapidly turning on and off to maintain temperature at a medical clinic. Not only was this wasting energy but was leading to a catastrophic failure of the boiler. By discovering the problem early, maintenance crews were able to fix the issue, so it runs properly.

 The ROC is currently in use at 18 Intermountain Health facilities in Utah and Idaho but will expand to 30 by the end of 2025.

 In the first year the center saved around $300,000 in gas and electricity cost, with other savings coming from extended equipment life, and utility incentives.

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