Summer Fall 2017

8 » A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals. Across Oregon, hospitals make a valuable impact on local economies. The top eight counties for hospital employment are: Multnomah County: 32,930 jobs Washington County: 10,900 jobs Marion County: 9,357 jobs Lane County: 9,321 jobs Jackson County: 7,525 jobs Clackamas County: 7,041 jobs Deschutes County: 6,411 jobs Benton County: 3,337 jobs hospitals a vital contributor to the economies of communi- ties throughout the state. Wallowa Memorial Hospital is located in rural Enterprise, Oregon in the northeastern part of the state. The 25-bed critical access hospital and level IV trauma center serves a patient population of over 6,800 people throughout Wallowa County. The hospital itself also represents a nearly one out of 27 jobs within Wallowa County—not accounting for the non- hospital jobs associated with hospital operations. “The hospital is a major job creator and helps our economy by getting more people here and offering more jobs for kids who grew up here, so they can come back here and raise their families,” said Sara Tippet, a Wallowa County resident. “That impacts school enrollments, so it’s a big benefit to our com- munity all the way around.” Giving back beyond jobs Beyond jobs, hospitals also support the state economy through the tax revenue they produce. In 2015, Oregon community hospitals directly generated $258 million in state and local taxes in 2015. Businesses supplying hospitals with goods and services supplied an additional $295 million in tax revenue which resulted in hospitals generating a total of $553 million in state and local taxes. Hospitals alsomade a large economic impact through their char- itable activities. In 2015, Oregon hospitals provided more than $1.9 billion in community benefit contributions, an increase over 2013’s contribution of $1.8 billion. The money contributed by hospitals towards community ben- efit results in the funding of programs like Clatsop County’s The Way to Wellville, a program designed to encourage healthy eating habits, exercise, mindfulness, and mentoring in Clatsop County elementary students (see page 24). Overall, community benefit funded programs provide valuable prevention, train- ing and health care services, often with little or no cost to the community. It’s one of the ways hospitals step up to address the critical health needs existing outside of their hospital walls. From direct caregiver jobs to those generated by hospital sup- pliers, all the way to charitable work, Oregon’s community hos- pitals are key drivers of economic stability around the state. The jobs they generate keep communities thriving, just like the patients they serve.  H continued 