Even as our nation struggles to return to a more stable economy, a recent report shows that New Jersey’s hospitals are a strong and reliable source of jobs and economic growth. Garden State hospitals delivered 140,000 jobs statewide and about $18.6 billion in economic activity in 2010 – a $40 million increase compared with 2009. The full report is available here. You can search for details on your own local hospital’s economic contributions, as well as for individual counties.

Not only are hospitals the places you turn to in your time of need for quality patient care, hospitals are the economic engines that power our communities. Our healthcare community is a source for hope. It brings stability to our state and offers continued hopes for an economic recovery. Beyond jobs, our hospitals delivers $8 billion in employee salaries, $2.3 billion in services purchased from other N.J. businesses and $420 million in income taxes paid by hospital employees. And they play another essential role as our state’s healthcare safety net. N.J. hospitals provided $1.3 billion in charity care services last year to New Jersey’s uninsured and working poor. Clearly, our hospitals play a vital role in supporting our nation during tough times and leading the journey to economic recovery.