AU Health generates more than $1.4 billion to local, state economy

AU Health is good medicine for Georgia’s economy. The health system associated with Augusta University injected a combined $1.4 billion in economic impact through the not-for-profit AU Medical Center, and Roosevelt Warm Springs Rehabilitation and Specialty Hospitals, which is operated by the medical center through a partnership with the state.

AU Health had direct expenditures of more than $600 million, according to the latest data from Georgia Hospital Association. When that number is combined with an economic multiplier developed by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis, the total economic impact of the health system was $1,389,496,567. This output multiplier considers the ripple effect of direct hospital expenditures on other sectors of the economy.

“Our top priority is to meet the health care needs of our patients and families,” said Lee Ann Liska, AU Medical Center Chief Executive Officer and executive vice president of Clinical Affairs for Augusta University. “Beyond that, we contribute to the economic wellbeing of our community by providing significant, market-driven compensation to our employees and by purchasing goods and services needed for delivery of our state-of-the-art care.”

AU Health provided more than $52 million in uncompensated care, according to the GHA report, while sustaining a combined 9,576 full-time jobs in Augusta and throughout the state.

“This report is a clear indicator of the significance of hospitals to the state and local economy,” Liska said. “It also underscores the need for the university’s Center for Rural Health. As the state’s academic health center, we want to investigate ways to help rural hospitals remain viable for their communities as well.”