Sing it out: The ripple effect of hospitals

January 12th, 2015

Question: What supports 15.4 million jobs and make a contribution to the tune of $2.3 trillion to the economy? Answer: You do! With the help of a few thousand other U.S. hospitals, of course.

In fact, hospitals are the second largest source of private sector jobs. And every hospital job supports about two more jobs. Every dollar your hospital spends supports about $2.30 of additional business activity. In these tough economic times, that’s music to our ears.

These stats come from a new brief from the American Hospital Association on the economic contributions of hospitals at the state and national level. You can look up how much hospitals in your individual state contribute in that brief.

Consider Rhode Island. This smallest state made a big impact to its state economy: $6.1 billion. The ripple effect was that it spent more than $3 billion on goods and services, which created more jobs and spending.

“Hospitals provide vital health care services to their communities, but the importance of hospitals to their communities extends far beyond health care,” said AHA President and CEO Rich Umbdenstock. “Congress should not overlook the economic contribution of hospitals as it considers further deficit reduction proposals.”

Let your Congressman know. Let your community know. And don’t neglect to let your own staff know. They can help you spread the word that hospitals do more than take care of sick patients: They help boost a sagging economy. So start tooting your horn!