The Coachella Valley entities that committed a total of $2.5 million toward the Economic Blueprint revealed on Friday deserve our praise and gratitude.

We encourage other entities that have a stake in the economic future of the valley to step up in the next 90 days.

The blueprint, presented to an audience of nearly 650 at the Renaissance Esmeralda in Indian Wells, is a strategic approach to finding ways to diversify our economy. It goes beyond the valley's traditional economic engines of tourism, agriculture and retail development, with strategies to boost four others:

Health care and life sciences

Supply chain management and logistics

Clean technology and energy

Creative arts and design

To make the plan happen, it is going to take significantly more investment. The $2.5 million committed by 12 local entities represents only 20 percent of the $12 million needed to carry out the regional strategy during the next five years.

J. Mac Holladay of Atlanta-based Market Street Inc., which worked with local leaders to create the 106-page blueprint, said the next three months are critical to solidify a substantial portion of the funding.

“I'd say the early response has been terrific,” he said. “I was pleased to see the hospitals come in at such a serious level; and now it's up to individual cities to join in and keep the momentum going forward.”

Desert Regional Medical Center, Eisenhower Medical Center and John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital each pledged $50,000 for the full five years of the campaign. The Desert Healthcare District committed more than $300,000 for a two-year period for the creation of a Health Care Industry Council.

In some cities, there has been deserved skepticism about the effectiveness of the Coachella Valley Economic Partnership in the past. Also, this is the most challenging time for city budgets in decades. Reluctance to make the commitment is understandable.

But if you look closely at the blueprint, you'll see that it makes sense. It's smart. It should work. But it won't work without a regional approach and the participation of all valley cities.

The Desert Sun urges all the city councils to make the commitment as soon as possible.