Stethoscope on money background of dollars

Hospitals and health care services are the No. 7 producer of income and sales in Kansas.

Kansas health care services:

• employ…..200,563 workers.

• that’s…..11 percent of the work force.

• that’s…..4th largest, followed by services (26%), government (16%), and trade (13%).

They generate:

• $8.5 billion in wages.

• $9.9 billion in total income (labor plus interests, rents, corporate profits, etc.)

• $16.7 billion in sales (6.4% of state total).

• $324 million in state sales tax revenue.

Kansas hospitals alone:

• employ…..68,126 people or 3.6% of Kansas workers

• generate…..$3.8 billion in wages

The Multiplier Effect

• For every dollar of the $3.8 billion in wages generated by hospitals, another 84 cents was generated in other businesses. Thus, the hospital sector had an estimated total impact on income of more than $6.9 billion.

Douglas County health services:

• employ…..4,439 people (6.4 percent of all workers)

• are the No. 4 employer, following services ( No. 1), government and trade.

They generate:

• $191 million in wages.

• $223 million in total income.

• $383 million in total sales.

Lawrence Memorial Hospital:

• employs…..1,163 people.

• generates…..$60 million in total income.

• generates…..$121 million in total sales.

The report found a strong health care system can:

• Attract and retain retirees. A study found 60 percent of potential retirees said health services were in the “must have” category when considering a retirement community.

• Help attract and maintain business and industry growth. A survey found 17 percent of corporations used health care costs as a tie-breaking factor between comparable sites.

• Create jobs. Since 1970, jobs in health care services have increased 250 percent nationally.

• Help preserve population in rural communities.

Cindy Samuelson

“It’s not just about the health care that a hospital provides. It’s about the community. People should care about their hospital if they want to keep their schools and businesses because it all connects and ripples.”

— Cindy Samuelson, vice president of member services and public relations for Kansas Hospital Association

Report:

• Research done by Office of Local Government and K-State Research and Extension. Based on data from 2007 and 2008.

• Released this week and funded by Kansas Hospital Association.