WCHC economic impact set at $35.5 million

At Washington County Hospital and Clinics, offering “More Than You Expect” is more than a phrase; it’s a promise to deliver excellent care to the community and to promote the stability and growth of the county’s economy.

WCHC and its board of trustees take steps every year to ensure that promise is kept.

This year’s Iowa Hospital Association study on the significance of health care to local economies illustrates how WCHC offers more to the greater community.

“We are all aware of the importance of access to local health care services,” Todd Patterson, CEO at WCHC, said. “However, an added benefit that a hospital offers its community is the significant and positive ripple effect of its employment and purchasing practices on the county’s economy.”

Using data from the American Hospital Association, that ripple effect is shown through jobs maintained, income paid to employees, retail sales by the hospital and sales tax generated.

Washington County Hospital and Clinics is credited for not only being a major contributor to the local economy but for making an impact of approximately $35.5 million in the past year. WCHC’s impact is attributed to:

Aside from WCHC’s direct impact, caring for the county includes proper stewarding of public funding which WCHC has received through approved tax funds since 1910. With this in mind, at February’s board of trustees meeting, it was approved to keep the tax rate at $1 per $1,000 valuation; a rate that has not been raised for 18 years.

WCHC continues to evolve and grow to provide the broader community the best in quality health care by expanding services and recruiting new providers as well as building an infrastructure to be an economic driver supporting local initiatives. WCHC will proudly uphold the promise to deliver “More Than You Expect” now and for years to come.