UPSON REGIONAL GENERATES

$142 MILLION FOR ECONOMY

     THOMASTON – In 2006, Upson Regional Medical Center generated more than $142 million in revenue for the local economy according to a recent report by the Georgia Hospital Association, the state’s largest hospital trade association. The report also found that, during the same time period, Upson   provided approximately $6.7 million, in uncompensated care while sustaining more than 670 jobs full-time jobs.     

     The report revealed that Upson had direct expenditures of more than $57.7 million in 2006.  When combined with the an economic multiplier developed by the United States Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, the total economic impact of those expenditures was more than $142 million  This output multiplier considers the “ripple” effect of direct hospital expenditures on other sectors of the economy, such as medical supplies, durable medical equipment and pharmaceuticals.   Economic multipliers are used to model the resulting impact of a change in one industry on the “circular flow” of spending within an economy as a whole.

     “This new report shows that, even in these difficult economic times, Upson has an enormous positive impact on our local economy,” said David Castleberry CEO. “We thank the region for its unwavering support of their local hospital and will continue to work hard to ensure that the citizens of this community have access to health care services that are second to none in quality and affordability.”

     While Upson  remains a major component of the area’s economic engine, the hospital’s leadership, like the rest of the Georgia hospital community, is concerned about a wide array of economic challenges that have made it increasingly difficult to meet the community’s health care needs, including continued cuts in Medicare and Medicaid payments and a fast-growing uninsured population.  

     Hospital leadership conservatively estimates that the state’s proposed 10 percent cut in Medicaid will result in a $1.4M  reduction in reimbursement for the same book of business Upson Regional Medical Center had last year.  

     Castleberry says that Upson is not standing flat-footed in the face of certain reductions. “We are being proactive by tightening up our staffing and making sure we staff appropriately to volume.  We are leveraging contracts to save on supplies, and we are being extremely prudent about expenditures and implementing lean techniques to improve processes, eliminate waste and save dollars.  Finally, we are maintaining our focus on quality and service - every patient, every time.“

     According to Castleberry, state lawmakers must work to protect the state’s health care system with the same fervor that they do other initiatives. 

     “Our local health care system is indispensable.  Upson is a very good hospital and a critical economic engine for middle Georgia,” said Castleberry. “It is the primary resource for healthcare in our community and is an important building block for economic vitality, much like education and other infrastructure.  It is our hope that, even in these challenging economic times, that our elected lawmakers will do what is necessary to protect our local health care system and preserve access to health care for our region and regions throughout the state.”

     Upson serves patients throughout middle Georgia including, Crawford, Lamar, Meriwether, Monroe, Pike, Taylor, Talbot, and Upson counties.