Iowa’s hospitals do more than provide health care – they help
local economies. Great River Medical Center generates 2,463 jobs that
add nearly $108.8 million to Southeast Iowa. Hospital employees spend
$25.3 million on retail sales and contribute $1.5 million in state sales
tax revenue.
The information is from the Iowa Hospital Association’s (IHA) recent
Iowa hospital economic impact report. The study examined the jobs, income,
retail sales and sales tax produced by hospitals and the rest of the state’s
health care sector. It did not distinguish the total impact of Great River
Health Systems.
The state’s 118 hospitals combined generate 121,000 jobs that add
$6.1 billion to Iowa’s economy. Their employees spend $1.6 billion
on retail sales and contribute nearly $99 million in state sales tax revenue.
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 307,402
Iowa jobs, or about one-fifth of the state’s non-farm employment.
The Iowa Hospital Association is a voluntary membership organization representing
hospital and health system interests to business, government and consumer
audiences. Complete information from the study, including economic impact
data for each of Iowa’s hospitals, is available on the IHA website,
www.ihaonline.org.