COLUMBUS, Ohio — Enjoy the figures you’re about the read, because they won’t be around for the next couple of years.
Ohio hospitals continued to employ more and more people in the state and offer Ohioans more in terms of a “community benefit,” according to figures from 2007 published Friday in a full community benefit report (pdf) by the Ohio Hospital Association.
The association had released preliminary data in mid-May stating hospitals provided $2.2 billion in charity care, Medicaid subsidization and community benefit activities including grants (it was published early in hopes of swaying the state budget debate).
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The full report on Friday had additional data on employment, among other things. In 2007, 558,079 workers in the state had jobs directly or indirectly through hospitals — up by almost 27,000 from 2006.
But these figures — 2007 is the most recent data available — are essentially ancient history because of the economic upheaval in the past two years. The OHA admitted as much, saying in its release that “because of sharp increases in the number of uninsured and unemployed Ohioans last year, charity care and Medicaid losses are expected to soar when the 2008 and 2009 figures are compiled.”
Hospitals have also laid off thousands in the past couple of years and cut back on employment-generating activities including some construction.
And hospitals’ community benefit numbers grew at a slower rate in 2007. Community benefit increased by 17 percent from 2006 to 2007. It had increased by 21 percent from 2006 to 2007.
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