GAINESVILLE, Ga. – Northeast Georgia Medical Center (NGMC) surpassed the $1 billion mark in local and state economic impact for the third consecutive year according to a report released by the Georgia Hospital Association, the state’s largest hospital trade association.
The report found that, in 2012, NGMC generated $1,104,610,897 in revenue for the local and state economy; provided more than $46 million in uncompensated care; and sustained more than 8,000 full-time jobs throughout the region and state – in addition to the more than 5,000 employees directly employed by Northeast Georgia Health System. The more than $46 million in uncompensated care, such as indigent and charity care, doesn’t take into account the more than $4 million NGMC also provided in community outreach such as free screenings and health education.
The report revealed that NGMC had direct expenditures of more than $483 million in 2012. When combined with an economic multiplier developed by the United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, the total economic impact of those expenditures was more than $1 billion. This output multiplier considers the “ripple” effect of direct hospital expenditures on other sectors of the economy, such as medical supplies, durable medical equipment and pharmaceuticals. Economic multipliers are used to model the impact of a change in one industry on the “circular flow” of spending within an economy as a whole.
“As Hall County and the surrounding region continue to grow, NGMC is proud to provide the community with the state’s best health care while also being a positive economic force,” says Carol Burrell, president and CEO of NGMC’s parent organization, Northeast Georgia Health System. “Fulfilling these roles is a great responsibility. By practicing responsible stewardship, we work to remain strong and ensure continued access to high quality health care and the economic viability of our region for decades to come.”
Burrell adds that the local economy is already seeing the impact the construction of NGMC Braselton, the Health System’s new hospital, set to open in spring 2015. At the height of construction, NGMC Braselton had more than 250 workers on-site and has spent more than $39 million with subcontractors and vendors in northeast Georgia. The Health System is also working to fill 600 positions at the new 100-bed hospital. See open positions and apply at www.nghscareers.com.
The figures in the GHA study only reflect the economic impact of hospital expenditures and do not include the impact of other services, such as physician offices and long term care facilities, provided by Northeast Georgia Health System.
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