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Celebrating hospitals
Published on -5/9/2012, 8:45 AM
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The 127 Kansas community hospitals provide vital health care services to our communities. Annually, they staff nearly 10,000 beds; they see more than 318,000 inpatient visits (140,000 Medicare and 47,000 Medicaid); they assist in more than 40,000 births; they provide care during nearly 7 million outpatient visits; and see more than 1 million visits to Kansas emergency departments.
Not only do our hospitals serve thousands of individuals, keeping our communities healthy, strong and vibrant, hospitals also benefit the financial health of our state. In Kansas, hospitals employ 73,890 people or 3.4 percent of all job holders and generate $4.2 billion in direct total income. In these challenging economic times, our hospitals support the creation of an additional 57,330 jobs in other business and industry and have a total employment impact of more than 131,000 jobs. For every $1 of income generated in the hospital sector, another 48 cents is generated in other businesses and industries in the state’s economy; thus, having an estimated total impact on income throughout all business and industry of more than $6.3 billion.
National Hospital Week is our nation’s largest health care event. This year’s theme, Making Miracles Happen, reminds our communities of the important work performed inside hospitals. More information regarding National Hospital Week can be found online at www.nationalhospitalweek.com/hospitalweek.
The Kansas Hospital Association is a nonprofit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. KHA membership includes 212 member facilities, of which 126 are full-service community hospitals.
Founded in 1910, KHA maintains its vision of “an organization of hospitals working together to improve access, quality and the affordability of health care for all Kansans.
Cindy Samuelson, vice president, Kansas Hospital Association, Topeka
