MHP creates close to $30 million impact on local economy
Mahaska Health Partnership
DES MOINES – Mahaska Health Partnership generates 374 jobs that add $29,739,467 to Mahaska County’s economy, according to the latest study by the Iowa Hospital Association. In addition, MHP employees by themselves spend $6,547,609 on retail sales and contribute $392,857 in state sales tax revenue.
“As an organization, we understand out impact on the local economy,” said MHP CEO Jay Christensen. “Our primary goal is to provide outstanding health care within the Mahaska Community, but in addition to that our team members live here, shop here and make our community their home. That does create an economic value and we are proud of our contribution as one of the larger employers in the county.
“We also stress shopping locally, which leverages those economic factors even further. It is part of our role in a strong community.”
Oskaloosa Mayor Dave Krutzfeldt said Mahaska Health Partnership is a valued leader in the community. “As Mayor of Oskaloosa, I appreciate the large economic impact of the hospital and its employees,” Krutzfeldt said. “The impact is even larger when considering the churning effect hospital spending has on the local economy. The hospital is an irreplaceable part of Oskaloosa’s future development.”
The IHA study examined the jobs, income, retail sales and sales tax produced by hospitals and the rest of the state’s health care sector. The study was compiled from hospital-submitted data on the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey of Hospitals and with software that other industries have used to determine their economic impact.
The study found that Iowa hospitals directly employ 71,437 people and create another 57,792 jobs outside the hospital sector. As an income source, hospitals provide $4.2 billion in salaries and benefits and generate another $1.8 billion through other jobs that depend on hospitals.
In all, Iowa’s healthcare sector, which includes employed clinicians, long-term care services and assisted living centers, pharmacies and other medical and health services, directly and indirectly provides 307,402 Iowa jobs, or about one-fifth of the state’s total non-farm employment.
“People are often unaware of the contributions that hospitals make to their local economies, including the number of people they employ, the significance of hospital purchases with local businesses and the impact of their employees’ spending and tax support for an entire region,” said Kirk Norris, IHA president/CEO. “Just as no one provides the services and community benefits found at community hospitals, there is also no substitute for the jobs and business hospitals provide and create.”
The Iowa Hospital Association is a voluntary membership organization representing hospital and health system interests to business, government and consumer audiences. All of Iowa’s 118 community hospitals are IHA members. Complete information from the study, including economic impact data for each of Iowa’s hospitals, is available on the IHA website at www.ihaonline.org.
Mahaska Health Partnership, located in Oskaloosa, is a non-profit health system accredited by the Joint Commission. It is guided by its mission to provide exceptional customer service and health improvement, linking the science of medicine with the humanity of compassionate care. For more information about how Mahaska Health Partnership is making healthcare personal, call 641.672.3240 or visit www.mahaskahealth.org.
