Des Moines, March 21, 2012: Wayne County Hospital generates 228 jobs that add $12,460,163 to Wayne County’s economy, according to the latest study by the Iowa Hospital Association. In addition, Wayne County Hospital employees by themselves spend $1,866,447 on retail sales and contribute $111,987 in state sales tax revenue.
“As the largest employer in Wayne County, we realize we have tremendous responsibility not only to our employees but to the community we serve to provide a stable workplace with future business opportunities for growth,” commented CEO, Daren Relph.
“Having served on the Wayne County Hospital Board for over 30 years I have seen unbelievable changes take place including expansion of our physical plant and the addition of technological advancements that allow us to continue to provide excellent healthcare here at the local level, commented Gary Runyon, DVM, Board Chair.
The IHA study examined the jobs, income, retail sales and sales tax produced by hospitals and the rest of the state’s health care sector. The study was compiled from hospital-submitted data on the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey of Hospitals and with software that other industries have used to determine their economic impact.
The study found that Iowa hospitals directly employ 70,363 people and create another 65,783 jobs outside the hospital sector. As an income source, hospitals provide $3.9 billion in salaries and benefits and generate another $2.3 billion through other jobs that depend on hospitals. In all, Iowa’s health care sector, which includes employed clinicians, long-term care services and assisted living centers, pharmacies and other medical and health services, directly and indirectly, provides 333,554 Iowa jobs, or more than one-fifth of the state’s total employment.
“People are often unaware of the contributions that hospitals make to their local economies, including the number of people they employ, the significance of hospital purchases with local businesses and the impact of their employees’ spending for the entire region,” said Kirk Norris, IHA president/CEO. “Just as no one provides the services and community benefits found at our hospitals, there is also no substitute for the jobs and business hospitals provide and create.”