A recent report shows Piedmont Athens Regional Hospital has quite an impact on the local and state economy. According to numbers from the Georgia Hospital Association, the facility generates more than $652 million dollars in revenue. Chief Financial Officer Wendy Cook says the impact is a result of both direct spending and a so-called ‘ripple-effect.’
“GHA uses an output multiplier which actually indicates that the dollars we spend yield additional dollars into the economy,” Cook said. “As we order from suppliers and vendors for services they are also generating an economic impact. It multiplies and that’s why they use the term ripple.”
Cook says on the local level, thousands of people benefit.
“Our hospital payroll and benefits for the time period that was reported is right at $154 million, we had 2,461 full-time equivalent jobs that were created.
She says the report shows those numbers are also wider-reacing than at first glance.
"The actual impact is right at about 3,000 individuals that are directly employed either full-time or part-time with our organization and those also get multiplied in this economic impact, expected to yield in excess of 6,000 jobs to our area.”
The hospital also provided nearly $11 million in indigent aid and charities.
The numbers are from calendar year 2017.
