For Immediate Release Contact: Jeff Johns
April 11, 2011 570-893-5420
REPORT: PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITALS CRITICAL TO STATE ECONOMY
Lock Haven Hospital total impact near $60 million
Lock Haven— Lock Haven Hospital annually contributes nearly $59,582,671 in total impact to the region’s economy, according to a new report released by The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). Lock Haven Hospital also supports more than 391 jobs in the Clinton County region according to the report.
Pennsylvania Hospitals Critical to State Economy shows that Pennsylvania hospitals provided more than 585,000 hospital and hospital service-related jobs to the commonwealth’s workforce and $98.9 billion to the state’s economy in 2010—up 9 percent, from $89.8 billion, in 2008.
“Lock Haven Hospital is an economic and social anchor providing healing, health, and hope in our community,” said Cindy Segar Miller, chief executive officer, Lock Haven Hospital “We also provide a safe haven and a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens.”
But Segar-Miller warned that the recession has taken its toll on Lock Haven Hospital by putting the community at risk through reduced access to health care and job losses.
“At a time when statewide unemployment remains as high levels, and job growth remains sluggish, hospitals continue to be the biggest employers in their communities,” said Segar-Miller. “In 55 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties, hospitals are among the top five employers.”
“Hospitals are a ‘must-have’—not a ‘nice-to-have’—for Pennsylvania’s citizens, providing essential health care services for millions of patients each year and stable employment for nearly 600,000 Pennsylvanians,” says Carolyn F. Scanlan, President and CEO of The Hospital & Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania (HAP). “As lawmakers craft a difficult 2011–2012 state budget, they need to ensure adequate payments for hospitals to remain fiscally healthy and to maintain their status as national leaders in health care quality.”
Pennsylvania’s hospitals annually care for 1.7 million inpatients and 38 million outpatients, and they evaluate 5.8 million injured and ill people in their emergency departments. Pennsylvania’s hospitals also deliver more than 133,000 babies each year.
Scanlan cautioned that if state budget proposals push for reductions in hospital payments, they will be jeopardizing the very jobs that are keeping many local economies intact. Recent Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry statistics show that while non-farm employment in Pennsylvania decreased by 4.2 percent between December 2007 and December 2009, direct hospital employment remained fairly steady, with only a slight decline of 1.2 percent during the same period.
Pennsylvania Hospitals Critical to State Economy is available online at www.haponline.org. The report updates HAP studies released in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010, and includes data from the U.S. Department of Commerce, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry, and HAP member hospitals and health systems.
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