Hospitals employed more than 5.4 million people in 2009 and contributed more than 2.2 trillion dollars to economic activity says a new report released by the American Hospital Association.
The report, with data taken from the AHA’s annual survey and other reports and surveys it conducted, noted that hospitals support one in nine jobs in the United States, are the second largest source of private sector jobs and spend about $342 billion on goods and services from other businesses.
[See also: Healthcare continues hiring boom as national economy stalls.]
Through their business purchases at community businesses, hospitals create a “ripple effect” in communities: Every hospital job supports the equivalent of about two more jobs in communities and every dollar spent by hospitals contributes an estimated $2.30 of additional business activity.
“The healthcare sector is an economic mainstay,” the report noted, “providing stability and even growth during times of recession.” The AHA’s report said that hospitals in the United States treated 127 million people in emergency rooms in 2009; cared for 515 million other outpatients; hosted 27 million surgeries and 4 million births.
“Every year, hospitals provide vital healthcare services like these to millions of people in thousands of communities. However, the importance of hospitals to their communities extends far beyond healthcare,” said the report.