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Report puts hospital's contribution to county economy at $11.2 million While the value of medical care, emergency treatment, and other health-related services is obvious in a rural community with a local hospital, sometimes the value of the hospital's total contribution gets overlooked. A recent report by the Georgia Hospital Association (GHA) helps to bring that total economic impact into focus and figures updated by Wills Memorial Hospital (WMH) provide an accurate report of the facility's contribution to Wilkes County as of the end of its last fiscal year, 2006. In that year, WMH provided more than $5.8 million in direct pay and benefits for its 195 full and part time employees. Applying the U.S. Department of Commerce earnings multiplier of 1.93, means that the hospital is responsible for generating total household earnings of over $11.2 million for the local economy during this period. In addition to its payroll impact, WMH purchases an annual average of $315,000 in goods and services directly from local businesses and vendors. The GHA report actually contained figures for 2004. However, unless otherwise noted, figures reported here are updated to 2006 as provided by Wills Memorial and the same multipliers are used. The GHA report also noted that WMH had to- tal direct expenditures of more than $10.9 million needs including continued cuts in Medicare and in its last fiscal year. When adjusted by the Medicaid payments and a fast-growing uninsured U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic population. Presently, more than a third of all Analysis multiplier of 2.46, the total impact hospitals in Georgia are operating with negative of those expenditures was more than $26.8 margins. million for the economy at large. This output multiplier "We're extremely concerned with the current considers the "ripple" effect of direct hospital operating environment for hospitals," said expenditures on other sectors of the Goldman. "We've made a commitment to every economy such as medical supplies, medical citizen of this community to be on call for them equipment and pharmaceuticals. Economic multipliers 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. But our ability are used to model the "circular flow" of to do so is being compromised when, in many spending within an economy as a whole. cases, we're being paid less than what it actually "This report shows WMH has an enormous costs to treat a patient." positive impact on our local economy which According to Goldman, state and local lawmakers makes us very proud," said Marvin Goldman, and policy makers must work to protect Chief Executive Officer of WMH. "We thank the state's health care system with the same fervor the community for its unwavering support that they do other initiatives like education through the years and will continue to work hard and public utilities. to ensure that the citizens of this community have "Our local health care system is indispensable," access to health care services that are second to said Goldman. "It is the primary guardian none in quality and affordability." of health in our community and is a key building While WMH remains a major component of block for everything else in our community including the area's economic engine, the hospital's leadership, education and economic vitality. It is our like the rest of the Georgia hospital community, hope that our elected officials at all levels will is concerned about a wide array of economic do what is necessary to protect our local health challenges that have made it increasingly care system and preserve access to health care difficult to meet the community's health care
for every resident of our community."
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