St. Luke’s Hospital generates 2,733 jobs that add $216,397,926 to the Linn County economy, according to the latest study by the Iowa Hospital Associatiales tax revenue.

on (IHA). In addition, St. Luke’s employees themselves spend over $82 million on retail sales and contribute nearly $5 million in state sales tax revenue.

The IHA study examined the jobs, income, retail sales and sales tax produced by hospitals and the rest of the state’s healthcare sector. The study was compiled from hospital-submitted data on the American Hospital Association’s Annual Survey of Hospitals and with software that other industries have used to determine their economic impact.

The study found that Iowa hospitals directly employ 70,363 people and create another 65,783 jobs outside the hospital sector. As an income source, hospitals provide $3.9 billion in salaries and benefits and generate another $2.3 billion through other jobs that depend on hospitals.

In all, Iowa’s healthcare sector, which includes employed clinicians, long-term care services and assisted living centers, pharmacies and other medical and health services, directly and indirectly, provides 333,554 Iowa jobs, or more than one-fifth of the state’s total employment.

“People are often unaware of the contributions that hospitals make to their local economies, including the number of people they employ, the significance of hospital purchases with local businesses and the impact of their employees’ spending for the entire region,” said Kirk Norris, IHA president/CEO.  “Just as no one provides the services and community benefits found at our hospitals, there is also no substitute for the jobs and business hospitals provide and create.”

Complete information from the study, including economic impact data for each of Iowa’s hospitals, is available on the IHA website.